Fate: Event Horizon
by SpatialPhoenix
Summary: Izuku Midoriya has always been a Quirkless boy with big dreams. After a small incident in his childhood caused him to become more pro-active in working towards that goal, he ends up meeting Kaleidostick Emerald, and embarks on a new path filled with craziness and danger. The world would never be the same again; probably because of all the Heroic Spirits running around.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, it is I, the Phoenix, here with a new story for you all this very merry Christmas!**

**It was an idea I had floating around my head since I started watching the Prillyaverse Series and read this Cardcaptor Sakura fanfic crossover with MHA. You'll see what this is about in the chapter.**

**Most of my messages to you guys for this will be in the apAuthor's Note at the end of the story, so check that out as well.**

**I'm not very good with locations, especially in Japan, so please forgive me for any mistakes. I don't even understand what a 'Prefecture' is supposed to be to begin with.**

**As always, I'm trying to keep everything as realistic as possible, so please bear with me.**

**Anyways, that's enough stalling; it's time to get on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Izuku Mirodiya: Origin.**

* * *

Izuku Midoriya had always been Quirkless.

The useless "Deku" who would always be on the bottom rung of the totem pole solely for being unfortunate enough to be born without a cool superpower.

But he had _always_ clung to his dream of becoming a Pro Hero like his lifelong idol, All Might. In one story, he runs into All Might by chance after nearly getting killed by a Villain.

While his dreams were crushed that day, they were soon restored when a burst of reckless heroism impressed the Hero enough to bequeath Izuku his power, putting the once powerless boy on the path to becoming the world's greatest Hero.

This is _not_ that story.

Instead, this is the story of a child who, against all odds, managed to shake the very foundations of his world, and became a Hero in his own way, going far beyond the scope of what even the greatest of his counterparts could imagine.

A child, who by no real fault of his own, became embroiled in something far greater than himself or even his world. A child who would achieve his dreams without even realizing it, and one who would blaze a trail that aspiring Heroes would follow for centuries.

What could make such a difference? What branching point would lead to such a divergence in fate?

It all started with a chance encounter, and then spiraled into a blend of mayhem that turned his life on its head.

The encounter wasn't a villain attack, it wasn't a one time chance to speak with his favorite hero, nor was it a bully's harsh, scathing words.

In fact, it was something so trivial an ordinary person would have dismissed it entirely.

But Izuku Midoriya was _never_ an ordinary person.

It all started a few weeks before his tenth birthday. Izuku was walking home from school one day, when he found out that the street he normally took to get back to his home was loaded with traffic due to an accident that had taken place a few minutes prior.

In one universe, Izuku would have waited for the road to be cleared, before he continued walking home, arriving close to 7 PM just in time to be swept away by a tsunami of his mother's tears.

In this universe, Izuku decided to take a detour. And that was what made all the difference.

Izuku was walking along the road, enjoying the cool wind that blew through Mustafu that fine day, when he came across a young man a couple years older than him, helping an old lady by rescuing her cat from a tree.

It was something that one would see in just about any story or even real life, but it was what the lady said to the boy that struck Izuku with the force of a Delaware Smash.

She said he was her hero.

That one sentence caused Izuku to freeze in his tracks, his eyes wide. The old lady would continue walking her cat and the boy would go run off to meet with his friends, but Izuku couldn't move from his spot.

In the end, he couldn't get one lingering thought out of his mind.

_What does it mean to be a hero?_

Of course, everyone knew about the costumed crusaders that beat up Villains, but what did it really mean to _save_ someone? Helping an old lady gather her groceries, rushing an incapacitated man to the hospital; wasn't that also saving people, in its own way? Didn't doctors save plenty of lives by performing complex surgeries on the wounded?

Izuku never wanted to be a hero for the fame, glory, or even to beat up villains. He just wanted to help people. Because that was just common sense.

It was then that he realized; maybe he couldn't become a hero because he was Quirkless, but _that didn't mean he couldn't save someone and help those in need._

In the end, he still came home late and drowned in his mother's tears.

But a flame that had gone out since the age of four was gently being rekindled. The first spark had been cast. And there were more to come.

* * *

When Izuku turned ten, he made a resolution: to memorize every detail, every shop, every person, and every Hero in his neighbourhood. It's a step down from becoming a hero, but it was a great feat nonetheless. The area around his apartment is one of the busiest areas in the entire city.

Instead of simply watching on the sidelines, Izuku trailed quietly after Heroes and got accustomed to his neighbourhood. While other children his age were hanging out together at the mall or the park, Izuku explored every nook and cranny of the area around his home. He reinforced some knowledge - the shopping street, the library, the local park, the train station - and learned somethings new - the soup kitchen, a small hole-in-the wall gem of a bakery, a group of stray cats that prowl around the alleys, searching for food.

During this time, Izuku talked to many people. He was a nervous and awkward person by heart, but heroes are a common topic that everybody was capable of keeping a conversation about. When he asked about the mysterious Wash in a quiant little cafe called Applin's, the barista was more than happy to tell Izuku all about how Wash was a very kind and exuberant man who always takes his coffee with three milks and two sugars.

By the end of the month, he'd more or less figured out all the patrol patterns within a seven-block radius around his apartment and memorized Applin's menu. It is, admittedly, kind of creepy and maybe a bit obsessive, but it was more fun than anything else Izuku's ever done. It was also hard, hard work, keeping track of so much about so many people.

In fact, when Kacchan tried to take the notes he'd worked so hard on, Izuku decided that Kacchan probably wasn't the best friend he'd ever had. He thought this as he snatched his notebook back, punched Kacchan in the jaw, and made a wild sprint for home, due to a spurt of bravery he didn't even know he had.

Surprisingly enough, Kacchan didn't chase him or tell the teacher, but the look he gave Izuku the next day surpassed acerbic on so many levels. Still, he no longer harassed Izuku as much anymore, which was a welcome blessing. The rest of the class seemed to have taken his jaw-punching to heart, because they started to lay off as well. Bullying was only fun when the victim didn't fight back.

Scuffles still happened, but when they did, Izuku didn't hesitate to fight back. He wasn't a fighter, but after years of being bullied, Izuku knew how to fall, how to crumple against blows, and how to improvise weapons with what little he had. Most importantly, he knew everyone's Quirks and exactly how to fight against each and every one of them.

He proved this when a group of bullies with minor ice quirks cornered him. By the time five minutes was up, Izuku was bruised and battered, but the bullies were bawling over their scorched fingers and burnt skin. Playing Pokemon had _really_ taught Izuku about the glories of elemental type advantages.

Izuku got in trouble for throwing hot water on the bullies the next day. He didn't really understand why the teachers were being so serious about it; after all, it wasn't like the water was boiling or anything. And these were the same people who did _nothing_ when Izuku was being bullied and needed help.

Into Midoriya scolded her son for his reckless behaviour, but was quietly thankful that he was no longer the target of the horrible bullying he had experienced in the past. She approved of his newfound sense of adventure and bought him a used phone so that she could always make sure he was safe.

One Wednesday evening, Izuku had just finished wrapping up his latest scrawl session at Applin's when a Villain walked into the shop and asked where the nearest police station was. The situation itself was terrifying, but was heightened by the Villain's warped features and multitudinous limbs that were jutting out in every direction. He was dripping blood from a few of the many arms he had.

The barista was paralyzed with fear. Her eyes gleamed bright blue, which Izuku had noted to happen when she was scared, and her voice shook as she tried to deliver a coherent sentence.

"Sir." Izuku said, against his own better judgement, his voice coming out barely louder than a whisper. "Sir!" he repeated, louder this time, holding his shaking hands behind him.

The Villain turned to face him, and Izuku felt a shiver run down the entire length of his spine.

"I know where the nearest station is." Izuku stated, trying to keep his voice calm. A slight hitch catches onto the end of the sentence, but he powered on anyway.

"If you leave the shop and go right, you'll be at an intersection. Take a right, continue straight for two blocks, and then turn left. Keep going down the street, and you can't miss it."

The villain gave him an awful smile, all sharp fangs and bloody gums. "You're useful, kid." was all he said before he turned around and trudged out the door.

Izuku felt nauseous, but the barista didn't look much better than he did, so he tried to keep his anxiety under wraps. After a minute had passed, the barista spun to meet Izuku's eyes.

"Why'd you tell him where the station is?" She sounded somewhat angry but was mostly hysterical. "Who knows what'll happen if a villain walks into a police station and starts tearing it apart? That's - you can't just -"

"It's okay, miss," Izuku replied. It really was okay, because Izuku had thought one step ahead. "I didn't give him directions to the station."

The look the barista gave him was _beyond_ hysterical.

Izuku moved quickly to give an explanation before the barista throttled him or started crying; he really couldn't tell which was more likely at that point.

"Wash patrols the neighbourhood on Wednesdays between 4 and 7. He usually walks the entire length of Willow Drive, which is why I told the Villain to keep walking down the street."

Nervously, Izuku fiddled with his mechanical pencil. "I'm sure a Pro Hero would be able to take down a Villain like him."

The barista seemed to look at him with a new sense of clarity, but demanded that Izuku stay with her until she could call the police and tell them about the situation. With nothing else to do, Izuku sat quietly with a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of banana bread. Across from him, the barista tapped the counter nervously, though the near-fluorescent blue of her eyes had dimmed down to a paler hue, meaning that she was calming down.

The officers arrived soon after, questioning both Izuku and the barista individually. Izuku answered their questions to the best of his ability, ripping apart the banana bread anxiously. Surprisingly, the interrogation didn't take very long. The officers commended him for his bravery and told him that he'd make a wonderful police officer. Izuku blushed all the way to his toes. This marked the first time he had received genuine praise about his own abilities, and it made him feel warm.

"You know, kid, you're really something else." the barista mumbled after the officers had left. There was nothing he could say to that, so Izuku just nodded quietly as he packed his notebooks away. It's clear that he wasn't welcome here any longer. That made him sad, because Applin's was the best cafe in the city to write in.

Before Izuku stepped out the door, he apologized for the trouble he'd caused and thanks the barista for the hot chocolate. The woman offered a small grin and a nod.

"Drop in sometime if you feel like it." was the last thing the barista said before she turned around to close up shop. Her tone was less dismissive and more tired, which Izuku counted as a major win. Maybe he'll even return one day, right after he changed his identity and _never_ came back as himself.

* * *

After the villain incident, Izuku realized that he was right; although he was Quirkless, he was _far_ from useless. For a period of time, he seriously considered becoming a police officer, or maybe a detective. It was appealing, but Izuku had never worked well with the enormous limitations that officers had to work under (like the law). It was easier to do what he loved doing quietly.

The notebooks began to pile up on his table at home, so Izuku dedicated a shelf exclusively to his notes. The majority of them were in-depth analyses of Pro Heroes, but some of them were about civilians with notable quirks. Kacchan's was one of the most thorough profiles he had.

As the weeks passed, Izuku became more and more confident in his ability to navigate his neighborhood. He knew every shortcut, every hidden alleyway shop, every stationary shop, and even the run-down warehouse the local gangs set up shop in. Due to his constant excursions, the chefs and waiters in just about every restaurant down Sunset Boulevard recognize him. Some even know him by name. This also applied to nearly half the city itself, which wasn't really surprising considering that wandering became almost a hobby for him by that point. It was far easier for him to wander the streets and talk to new people than to sit at home or in class and be constantly tormented for his Quirklessness, either by the kids at school or in his own head at home.

"Hey, Midoriya." Rin, the ramen chef, greeted, pausing to wipe her hands on a towel before approaching Izuku. "What're you looking for today?"

Izuku froze. Oh, no. He should have figured out what he wanted before he came in. Luckily, the sign behind Rin boldly declared that the house special had a discount deal, which he accepted readily. Rin nodded and moved to prepare the ramen.

Rin and Izuku made small talk in the meantime. Izuku recounted his experiences with the children he's begun to visit; both the terminally ill at the hospital and the less fortunate kids at the orphanages, while Rin complained about the unseasonably warm weather and her pet dog.

"Not only that, but we've been crazy busy lately." the chef huffed, arranging the toppings on the noodles. "I haven't had any time to look after Hiro, and I'm worried that he'll get heat stroke."

"I can look after him for you." Izuku said immediately, without having first processed the words that had just left his mouth. Honestly, it was a habit; for all of his analytic skills and intelligence, he had the _annoying_ habit of following his impulses more than anything else.

Instantly, Rin brightened. "Really? That'd be great. I don't mind paying you to make sure Hiro gets fresh air and a cool bed."

"Okay." Izuku replied, then froze once more. Wait, _what_? He had _no_ _idea_ how to take care of animals. He'd never even had a pet. Choosing not to share this detail, Izuku accepted the bowl of ramen and eats in silence. There was no way he can go back on his word, especially not after Rin looks happier than she had been all week. It couldn't be harder than larning chess just to play with the elderly folks at the park.

After Izuku finished his meal, Rin gave him her number and promised to call whenever she needed any help with her dog. Izuku nodded, then ran home and read about taking care of dogs on the Internet for two hours. True to her word, Rin called two days later, telling him that she was hosting some sort of party at her restaurant. The heat wave that had been passing by the city was miserable, and Hiro hadn't been enjoying it.

Izuku met Rin in front of her restaurant an hour before the usual opening time. A small Shiba sat next to Rin, a bright red collar around its neck. Upon seeing Izuku, Hiro perked up immediately. Say what you will about canines, but they liked adorable things too. And they weren't about to judge him for being Quirkless. All he needed to do was pamper them.

"This is my baby, Hiro." Rin declared, smiling widely. "Treat him nicely, okay?"

Five minutes later, Izuku left with Hiro's leash in his hands and a bag of Hiro's food and toys. He walked a block before he stopped and questioned why he did the things that he chose to do.

The day goes surprisingly well. Hiro was friendly and active, which made him a bit overwhelming at first, but he eventually tired himself out and curled up in a shady, cold corner of Izuku's room. By the afternoon, the pavement was burning hot, so Izuku had to wait until the sun goes down before he could walk Hiro. He decided to take care of two birds with one stone, so he walked Hiro down Sunset Boulevard.

By the time he returned home, six people working in different shops had given him their contact information to look after their dogs. Izuku had not yet learned how to deny people. Maybe he should before he accidentally started an impromptu dog-sitting service.

Apparently he didn't learn quickly enough, because the next time he was out walking the bookstore owner's dog, several people approached him and asked if he was willing to take care of their dogs for a price. Izuku agreed without even thinking. After that, he quickly retreated home so that nobody could approach him again.

Izuku wasn't sure how, but he'd become the go-to person when someone on Sunset Boulevard needed a dog-sitter. It's actually kind of nice. Not only is he getting paid, but he also gets to play with the dogs and gets fresh air at the same time.

This is how the summer of Izuku's tenth birthday passed by. To his surprise, he was snowed in with presents, with almost everyone he knew getting him some kind of gift to go with their cakes, every restaurant owner granting him free meals, and even the old mechanic at the corner of Mustafu had gotten him a full set of monkey wrenches. It honestly makes Izuku burst into tears, because the young boy isn't used to this kind of acceptance, as it was something he _never_ got from people his own age. Among them, he was a pariah for not being born with a unique power, but among these people, he was just the kind, adorable boy who would do anything to help someone in need.

Even if he wasn't a true Hero, he had engraved himself into the hearts and minds of the people around his neighborhood. And that fact _never_ stopped making him happy.

Dog-sitting was sporadic, with most calls coming in the day of the job, but Izuku took advantage of it, walking around the lesser-known parts of his neighbourhood while walking the dogs. Other dog-walkers at the park were becoming familiar with his face, giving him waves and greetings as he passed by them. Some of the store owners gave him discounts in exchange for taking care of their dogs, while others treated him to dinner.

By the end of the summer, Izuku had done a pretty good job and made excellent progress towards his goal. Sunset Boulevard has become a second home of sorts; he knew everyone there and everyone there knew him.

School started again without much excitement. Izuku was forced to change his dog-sitting services to exclusively the weekend and after school, which his clients could live with. The heat waves passed and summer vacation was over; the hot and busy season had passed, meaning people could be more flexible with their own schedules.

Unsurprisingly, Izuku's classmates still teased him for his Quirklessness, but Izuku realized with a _shocking_ revelation that he didn't really care; in the grand scheme of things, there were so many people who supported him in one way or the other, that he didn't feel the need to try and garner support from children his own age, who he decided were sometimes _crueler_ than adults in their own right. Kacchan glared at him whenever he passed by, snarling insults and stomping off angrily after every interaction. He doesn't make any attempt to harm him like before though, something Izuku notices. And so he went on with his school days, walking around town when he has the chance.

One important think Izuku decided to do was maintain a healthy body. Dog sitting and chasing after heroes had certainly done their part on his physique, but if Izuku ever wanted to become a Hero, he needed to be stronger than most and make up for the Quirk that he didn't have. He knew it was possible; tales of the Quirkless Vigilante Knuckleduster had reached his ears when he walked dogs, and even the likes of Eraserhead fought mostly Quirkless, considering his Quirk only evened the playing field instead of directly knocking someone out. However, these people were few in number, which really sunk in the point that he was heading down a very difficult road, something he didn't care about. The people at the gym now knew him very well, adopting the green bean within a week of his joining, and Izuku even made a new friend; Mirio Togata.

The boy was probably the _only_ friend Izuku had his own age, followed by Tamaki Amajiki when the two of them were introduced to each other by their mutual friend.

The three of them were aspiring Heroes and Hero nerds, and Izuku nearly flooded them with his tears when neither of them mocked his dream of becoming a Hero even though he was Quirkless.

Mirio confided that his Quirk was nearly useless, as his Permeation, while seemingly powerful, had too many drawbacks to be practically feasible. Tamaki's social issues and perpetual anxiety, combined with a Quirk that wasn't easy to use, also put him in the same boat as the two of them. Izuku wasn't about to let his new friends lose out on their mutual dreams, however; because even if their Quirks were weak or difficult to use, they still had a _much greater_ advantage than someone like him who was born without power.

They spent many evenings together, Izuku's honed and refined analytical skills picking out the flaws in each of the their Quirks and how to correct them. Inko Midoriya was more than ecstatic to see that there were children out there who were friendly to Izuku, and was always more than accommodating to them whenever they came over.

The three of them aspired to enter U.A. High School, and pushed each other to achieve their dreams. Funnily enough, Izuku tended to switch between being upbeat like Mirio and having anxiety attacks like Tamaki, which led to many people teasing the trio kindheartedly when they hit the town.

Izuku cried himself to sleep sometimes when he realized that he was no longer alone. He now had true friends who supported him wholeheartedly, even Tamaki, who would sooner jump off a cliff than give a motivational speech. To his surprise, he discovered another perk of having a friend like Mirio; he had a well-defined eight-pack by the age of _twelve_. Let it never be said that Mirio was anything short of a training freak. There were many days that the cartoonish-looking boy dragged both of his exhausted friends home or slung them over his shoulders, much to their embarrassment.

His scream of 'POWER' whenever he did so became a local joke, much to Izuku and Tamaki's shame. It was honestly rare to not see the three of them together, and Mirio and Tamaki's respect for their younger friend only grew when they saw how much he had integrated himself into the community and how hard he worked for a dream that seemed almost impossible for someone Quirkless like him. Due to the difference in their Grade, they usually met up at Ms. Luna's after school, and sort of did whatever floated their boat from there. The two boys sometimes helped Izuku with his dog-sitting.

They swore never to speak of the incident where Tamaki was nearly _eaten_ by a German Shepherd named Sparkles after using his Quirk at the wrong time.

To this day, he still looked around warily to make sure there were no dogs before he entered an eatery.

Almost every establishment in that corner of Mustafu had a framed picture of the three in their Halloween costumes; with Mirio as All Might, Tamaki as the underground Hero Eraserhead, and Izuku as Hawks. People had nearly _died_ from the adorableness; Tamaki and Izuku's expressions as All-Mirio held one of them under each arm, wrapping Izuku like a burrito with his fake wings, was honestly a sight to behold. Their names, especially Izuku's, were always on the mind and the tongue.

At this point, Izuku realized that even if he wasn't able to become a Pro Hero, he still would be satisfied if he could help people the same way he'd been doing the past few years, occasionally with Tamaki and Mirio's help. The smiles he received and the gratitude of others either made him blush in embarrassment or burst into tears; he had made a mark on people, _without_ wearing a fancy costume and beating up others.

The fact that the tokens of gratitude and presents from his well-wishers had filled up the driveway the day he turned twelve really drove home the fact that maybe the future wasn't as bleak as he had once thought.

Of course, life wasn't all fun and games; school was honestly _hell_, and Mirio and Tamaki weren't always around to defend him.

But overall, Izuku was happy. Despite the occasional bouts of insanity from his two friends, his life was stable and Izuku felt like he was heading somewhere great.

Of course, then **the incident** happened, and nothing Izuku knew was ever the same again.

Except for the fact that Bakugou now avoided octopus of any kind due to an incident where Tamaki had found him bullying Izuku. The timid boy's _surprising_ savagery that day had shocked Izuku and Mirio to no end.

* * *

"Today's finally the day, huh?" said Mirio, gazing up at the sky, his blue eyes unfocused.

"Yeah..." said Tamaki.

"F-For you guys at least. I've still got two years." lamented Izuku.

The three friends were lying down on a grassy hill, watching the sun rise. It was the day of the UA Entrance Exams for those students applying for the Hero Course, and Tamaki, along with Mirio, was about to take the next step to achieving their shared dream.

"Don't worry, Izu!" said Mirio, his ever-present grin widening as he gave the younger boy a thumbs up. "Soon, it'll be your turn. And don't worry; even if you don't have a Quirk, I know you'll do great. We've been training for years! And you still have two more to hone your skills."

"Of course." said Izuku softly, smiling, although he was tearing up. It was sad to see that Mirio and Tamaki were already about to enter their own Hero Courses, leaving hi-

"We're _not_ leaving you, Izuku." said Tamaki, surprisingly enough. The blue-haired teen placed a hand on his shoulder, facing Izuku. "We'll _always_ be waiting for you. We won't be able to go far from you, you know. You and Mirio are like the sun... but even then, you shine brighter than _anyone_ I've even seen before. Someone like you... will _definitely_ make it into UA. You'll catch up to us soon enough, and we'll be waiting for you."

"That's right!" said Mirio, who was on Izuku's other side. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you, bro. We owe how much we've learned to use our Quirks to you. Before I couldn't even Permeate through a wooden plank; now I can go through walls with ease! And Tamaki's grown leaps and bounds from all the research you did on his Quirk."

This was true. They had found out about Izuku's habit of keeping detailed notes about any and all Quirks he had come across, and supported it whole-heartedly. Izuku was both the brains and the heart of the team, and with people actually encouraging him to do what he was good at, his own analytical skills had improved quite a bit, especially when it came to Quirks. Cracking down how to help Tamaki and Mirio use their Quirks properly was a project he had thrown himself into, night and day. How far the two boys had come was a testament to Izuku's skills.

"We're a team, the three of us." continued Mirio, reaching out as if to grab the stars. "Even if we're split apart by school, we'll always be together. Remember our dream, Izu? Of founding our own Hero Agency? Of becoming the _best_ Heroes in the world? We won't, we _can't_, accomplish that dream without you. It would _never_ feel right. So don't worry; because I _know_ you'll find your way."

Now Izuku couldn't stop the tears from flowing, and wrapped both the boys in a fierce hug. The three of them were smiling, linked by the bond of their friendship. Izuku knew deep in his heart that he must have been _amazingly_ lucky to have friends like them.

A few hours later, the three of them were standing in front of U.A. High, just before the exam was about to start.

"Mirio-kun, did you remember to pack your special clothes?" asked Izuku worriedly, fawning over the two older boys like a worried mother, drawing a small grin from Tamaki and a huge smile from Mirio. And wasn't _Izuku_ supposed to be the socially awkward one that couldn't speak a full sentence without stuttering?

The boy in question gave thumbs up, gesturing to his duffel bag with his free hand.

"Tamaki-kun, did you eat up properly this morning and pack your bento?"

An octopus tentacle poked him in the forehead, while Tamaki held up the bento in question with his other hand.

Let it be known that Izuku and Mirio were the only people he would act that sassy around.

"Now get out there, you guys. Show them what you've got!"

"Yes sir!" the two boys shouted in unison, causing Izuku to blush furiously, as all eyes fell upon them.

"We'll do this, buddy! Nothing's going to stand in our way, especially with you cheering us on! Right, Tamaki?"

Silence.

"Eh, Tamaki?"

The boy in question was trying to melt into the nearby wall, realizing that he was now being scrutinized by all the people who had heard their little outburst.

* * *

Izuku was in a good mood, as evidenced by the large smile on his face, drawing a matching smile from Professor Washi, who was sitting across from him, holding a clay tablet.

"Something good happen today, Izu-chan?" asked the eagle-headed man, his beak curved in amusement.

"A-ah Y-yes, Sir! Mirio and Tamaki are taking their U.A. Entrance Exam! I-I'm just glad they're closer to reaching their dreams!" said Izuku, scratching the back of his head nervously while holding a tablet which displayed a picture of a similar clay tablet.

Izuku had taken to deciphering ancient languages in his free time, Latin and Cuneiform being his main areas of expertise. When he had been working on a piece of a Roman Temple that had been recently recovered in Ms. Luna's, he had met Professor Washi, who was in change of the Mustafu branch of National Archeological Recovery Initiative, which was initiated by the government in order to find and preserve elements from the Pre-Quirk era.

The man had been impressed with Izuku's skill, and had invited the boy to work with him and his students, who studied at the Mustafu University, on a few pieces that had been excavated and delivered to them from across the globe.

Izuku would never forget the tears of joy on those student's faces when he cracked codes that had left them stumped for months within _hours_, and many of them still sent messages from time to time, thanking him for his work, which had helped them all gain invitations to prestigious programs and institutions across the nation and even abroad. He nearly had a heart attack when one of the more outspoken ones cited his work as the reason behind her success on national television. Thankfully, she hadn't mentioned his name, or he would have probably been swarmed.

Currently, Professor Washi and he were working one some of the rarest pieces they had ever found; perfectly preserved clay tablets from Babylonia, in modern day Iraq.

Izuku and the Professor had been deciphering them for a _week_ now, indicating just how careful they had to be and how complex the translation was. To their surprise, it seemed to be a hidden segment of the famous _Epic of Gilgamesh_, which the Professor had been extremely excited about, as they were on the verge of making a breakthrough regarding one of the oldest known pieces of human literature.

Suddenly, the Professor seemed to remember something.

"Oh, Izu-chan, I just remembered that I had something for you." he said, standing and beginning to rummage through the drawers at the back of the room they sat in. Not finding it, much to his concern, the man turned to Izuku and rubbed his head sheepishly.

"I must have left it at home. Give me a minute okay? In the mean time, take a break and check out some of the old stuff we have here. We've been at this for hours now."

"Y-yes Sir!" said Izuku, and the Professor left the room, muttering something about his forgetfulness.

Izuku wondered what the Professor had wanted to give him. He mentally shrugged, putting down the tablet and getting to his feet.

He wandered over to the antique section, peering over the items there curiously.

Unknown to him, it was there that the future of the world would be flipped on its head.

All because of a box, sitting innocently at the edge of the large chest that held random junk from across the ages.

Izuku curiously picked it up, only to help in pain as he scratched his finger on a stray nail that had been jutting out of the chest. Ignoring his minor injury, Izuku placed the box on the nearby table, studying it curiously.

He didn't know why, but it almost felt like the box was _calling_ to him, funnily enough.

He opened intently, and blinked at what he found.

_'A toy wand and a deck of cards?'_

He honestly wondered what kind of civilization those had come from.

The cards seemed to be golden, held in an elaborate card-holder that was similarly embossed in gold. The wand's appearance consisted of a yellow, four-pointed star in a ring that had two small green beads towards the top, with six emerald, crystalline wings, the size of each being smaller than the one above it, and a green retractable handle that had a white top with a gold color cross at the bottom. Honestly, these two items were probably the wierdest things he had ever seen in his life.

Not counting that guy whose Quirk let him fart rainbows and move really fast, although it forced him to say 'NYAN' repeatedly whenever he used it. Last he heard that guy was arrested for illegal Quirk usage when he busted through two walls in rage when he found out that his internet videos of his own Quirk use had received no views.

It was then, that Izuku Midoriya's cardiovascular and circulatory systems decided to change the fate of the world.

A drop of blood fell on the card-holder.

To Izuku's alarm, what could only be described as a magic circle appeared above the card-holder, reacting immediately to his blood, before there was a flash of golden light, causing Izuku to flail blindly, grabbing onto something in the air.

When the light cleared, to Izuku's mounting horror, **all the cards were gone**, except for the one that remained clutched in his outstretched hand.

Oh no.

_'Shielder.' _a corner of his brain supplied helpfully, scanning the English writing on the card as Izuku began to hyperventilate.

Oh man, he had just lost an antique deck of golden cards! He was so dead! Professor Washi would be _terribly_ disappointed in him and would never let him work him ever again! Oh God, he could _never_ return! He would have to fake his death and go live out the rest of his life in a remote village in Nepal, and then-

**[Sheesh, kid, what's with all the muttering?]**

The scene was like something out of a horror movie. Izuku slowly turned around, his face pale, and suddenly found himself _eye to eye _with the toy wand from earlier, which was now floating in the air.

Okay, what?

**[What's wrong? You look like you've never seen a Kaleidostick before.]**

"T-that's because I-I _haven't_!" stuttered Izuku, not taking his eyes off the floating wand. Just what the hell _was_ that thing? And what on earth was a Kaleidostick? And why did it sound like a guy?

And on a side note, he had officially gone insane; he was talking to a toy. And the toy was apparently talking _back_.

The wand retracted its handle, seemingly content to just float around on its emerald wings, it floated around him, seemingly scrutinizing him from all angles.

**[Oh, non-magical I see? Well, I suppose that isn't a problem. I am Magical Emerald, the first Kaleidostick Mystic Code created by that _troll_ Zelretch and the older brother of Magical Ruby and Magical Sapphire! I'm also the keeper of the Class Cards!]**

Izuku's stomach dropped as a slow dread began to fill his stomach.

"Y-you m-mean the cards that were in _that_ card-holder?" he asked nervously, not liking the obvious answer.

**[Yeah, exactly! My deadbeat creator honestly has _no_ _idea_ to do with dangerous magical items, I tell you! He's like 'Oh Emerald, you defective Mystic Code, why don't you watch over these extremely dangerous Class Cards so I can amuse myself if something bad happens to them *wink* *wink*'! And he even said 'wink wink' out loud, for Pete's sake!**]

"U-um..."

**[What is it, kid? There's no need to be shy! Your big brother Emerald isn't going to hurt you!]**

Emerald flew over to his head and ruffled his green locks with one of his wings. Izuku, in the meanwhile, was trying _not_ to have a panic attack.

"T-then y-you should probably know that they're kind of _all gone_ now." he said, wringing his hands together as best as he could with a card between his fingers

**[...]**

Emerald spun around, and just floated in the air, staring at the now empty card-holder. Then it turned back to him, and Izuku noted that if Emerald had a face, he would probably be making dead fish eyes at him.

"..."

**[Well, sh*t. You got your blood on the deck, didn't you? A potent magical catalyst for binding contracts...]**

"I-I'm so sorry!" cried Izuku, dropping into a seiza position. "It was an accident!"

That was it. Izuku was dead, and his soul had just ascended to whatever otherworldly realm souls go to after death.

**[It's fine... *sigh*. It isn't your fault anyway, since the deck was most likely rigged to do that as a prank when someone became contracted to it. Like I said, my idiot creator has _way too much_ time on his hands sometimes. And us poor souls have to pick up the debris from the messes he leaves behind...]**

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lose them, though! I... I'll get them back, I promise!"

Hang on, _what_?

Clearly the years hadn't taught Izuku how to say no to people, or get rid of his chronic anxiety then again, he had lost a deck of expensive-looking cards so maybe it was justified this time. Probably.

Wait, didn't the floating wand just say that it was okay and that this was probably supposed to happen?

He had panic attacks at the absolute worst times.

Oh God, Mirio and Tamaki were going to kill him. Maybe after they died of laughter at the situation he had gotten himself into.

**[Well, of course you will! You're the only one who can get them back and seal them up, since you're the one who bonded to the deck! You'll probably face _unspeakable_ danger and come close to dying several times, but that's all in the line of duty, right?]**

Izuku was nearly in tears.

Why, oh _why_ did these kind of things _always_ happen to him?

**[Oh, if we don't get the cards back, then it'll cause the end of the world as you know it.]**

"T-THE END OF THE WORLD!" screamed Izuku, his face going completely white.

Forget dead, he would be _roasted_ in cheese fondue for all eternity in the afterlife!

Emerald seemed to nod in the air, before he floated over to his cut finger and poked it with one of his wings.

**[And that's why we have to get them back. The Class Cards are _extremely powerful_ magical artifacts, and letting them run amok is the _peak_ of irresponsibility. And while I'm a pretty laid back guy, I can't just let the world get _destroyed_ because of _my_ screw up. I'm the one who was supposed to be watching over them!]**

Emerald's handle burst out again, and suddenly placed itself in Izuku's outstretched hand. He reflexively gripped its handle, and to his surprise found that his fingers now seemed to be stuck to it. The boy panicked, trying to shake it off, but the Kaleidostick wouldn't budge.

**[What's your name, kid?]**

"I-Izuku Midoriya!" he said, his voice coming out without his own permission.

The wand in his hands began to glow brighter, illuminating the room like a second sun.

**[Yeah! Master Registration is now complete!]**

Master Registration? What was Emerald talking about? Izuku stiffened as he felt a strange current beginning to flow through his body, seemingly content with just coursing through him.

**[Compact Full Open!]**

The energy surging through Izuku's body seemed to be seeping out onto his skin, causing him to feel tingly all over.

**[Mirror World Circuits: Maximum Engage!]**

To his surprise, the energy began to coat his body in a cocoon of power, and started to melt over his body like a second skin. He could feel something forming over him as well, but with the bright light he couldn't tell exactly what that something even was.

When the light cleared, to his horror, Izuku found that he was wearing what looked like an outfit straight from a shotacon's wet dreams.

He had... become a _Magical Boy_! He had been _emasculated_ in the most brutal way possible, and he knew it all too well. If someone actually saw him in this outfit, he would probably have shave his head, change his skin color and go join the Marines. Only then would he be able to reclaim what the garb had cost him.

**[Introducing the brand new Kaleid Liner: Prisma Izuku!]**

Izuku did what anyone would do when they found out that they had basically sold their soul to a talking stick that had turned him into a Magical Boy.

He _screamed_ like a little girl. And then fainted.

**[It's the name, right?]**

And it was with this epic scene, that the Izuku Midoriya of this universe set out on a journey unlike any of those his counterparts had been on, facing _unspeakable_ danger in order to save his world.

* * *

**And that's a wrap, ladies and gents!**

**That is what this story is about, and while this chapter may seem kind of dull in the beginning, please remember that it is a just a backstory. The coming chapters will have what you're looking for in terms of Fate action.**

**Kaleidostick Emerald is not as powerul as Ruby and Sapphire, which will be explained more in the next chapter. He serves as the prototype Kaleidostick and the older brother of Ruby and Sapphire.**

**What I want to ask you is this; should Izuku become a vigilante or pursue a different path? He won't be able to become a Hero in time to legally use his 'Quirk' to save people if he goes the canon route, so that's up to you guys.**

**I am still going to make Izuku get One for All; the reason why will be explained in the next chapter, so don't worry about it. I have some sick combinations planned out for him to use it in conjunction with different Noble Phantasms and stuff.**

**As for the costume; don't worry, it'll be upgraded to something less humiliating and more bada*s real soon.**

**Please PM or leave a Review with any suggestions or corrections you might have, and what Servants you want our boy to encounter and befriend/romance. **

**And one more thing; Mirio and Tamaki, and probably Nejire by extension will be getting way more screen time than in the normal story. It's part of the alternate backstory, so please keep an open mind.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this fic. Please don't hesitate in showing support, because it's a _huge_ motivator.**

**That's all I wanted to say, so Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**

**Spatialphoenix here, burning to ashes.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! It's me, the Phoenix, back again with another chapter of my new story, which I am pleased to say was received quite well.**

**I thank you all for the support, because honestly, Event Horizon has gotten around 50 favorites and follows within a few days, which is honestly a record for me, surpassing even Multiplayer and Hero Complex. **

**I think it's because I'm the first to explore this concept, and so I will do my best not to disappoint. I understand that this chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but that's because the next chapter has a little more content.**

**Anyways, I don't have much else to say, so time for the Reviews!**

**Superfanman217: "****This is a great idea im exited to see it. I really wanna see "harem antics" with the female Servants; not the 'give mc girls just to ecchi ' but the 'OMG WHY DO THESE GIRLS LIKE ME THIS MUCH?'. I love the story, and Merry Christmas.**

**A: Thank you very much for the praise, sir, and I certainly intend to deliver. How many Servants can our cinnamon roll trigger, I wonder? The world may never know. Someone definitely needs to keep Astolfo off of him, though.**

**Cygfried: "****Interesting. I like it. Gonna keep looking out for your updates keep it up. A card captor sakura-izuku is always an amazing idea."**

**A: Thanks, and I agree. I honestly cant beleive that its almsot been never used in the MHA fandom. Maybe because only All Might, All for One, and maybe Shigaraki and Overhaul could fight against the power of a Servant?**

**CAD270895: "I love this story; more please! I hope Izuku gets an outfit more manly."**

**A: Thanks for the praise and he definitely will. It'll take a bit of time though, just long enough for Izuku to develop PTSD.**

**Karlos1234ify: "Interesting."**

**A: IKR! It's a pretty interesting concept.**

**Alicemisuzu: "Zelretch isn't really that much of a troll. It's overhyped in fanon."**

**A: I know. I didn't say that he was; _Emerald_ did, and it's a common fact that the Kaleidosticks hate their creator. He was just blaming Zelretch because he didn't like him. There's actually a reason for what happened, which will be explained much later.**

**Luis014: "It doesnt make sense for you to give Midoriya One for All seeing as he will have all the servant cards and their powers. Besides that can't wait to see what you will do."**

**A: Actually, there is, and it's explained in this chapter; I'm basically turning One For All into a Prana Generator. Emerald is a prototype, and can't access the Mana Plane as well as Ruby and Saphhire, meaning Izuku's magic supply is limited, especially because he has _barely_ any Circuits. So what better than a Quirk that _literally_ accumulates energy to help out on that front. It's also because of how close it made Midoriya and All Might. I tend to keep things as realistic as possible, so it doesn't make sense if Izuku had a hundred good Circuits or something when there is no magic in MHA.**

**Angron: "Let's clarify something very IMPORTANT, Zelretch IS NOT a troll, he is similar to Kujo Jotaro. Using troll Zelretch is a cheap and stupid way to plot. The "Heroes" in My Hero Academia are only private security contractors, the "Heroes" are not so different from firefighters, police or doctors but nobody calls them heroes, but people have the "Heroes" on a golden pedestal. I hope this story is gray and not black and white as is My Hero Academia. At least I hope that your OC (Emerald) really questions the motivations of the characters and does not accept so easily the point of view of My Hero Academia. One's hero is someone else's villains. We Are Heroes In Our Own Story, Villains In Their, And Neither Is A Lie. Strength is what you decide one's life in the world. The evil is right if they have strength. The good is right if they have strength. In the end, it all comes down to who has the power to enforce their view.**

**A: I clarified the Zelretch issue above, but you have to admit almost every story involving him does that. In mine, Emerald just blames him because he hates his creator like Ruby and Sapphire. It's not actually something he did to troll people. And as for the other part; of course. Fate is all about not seeing things as black and white, and Izuku will learn some valuable truths on his journey.**

**Wizardwolf 1020: "I'm really liking this, although I believe it would be better if Izuku didn't get One For All as he's already powerful as is with the cards but if he does get One For All hopefully it would be more of a secondary and not primary use. I've never been for Izuku having One For All because it defeats the purpose of him being the first Quirkless hero as he was given the means when it could have been more inspirational to get there with what he has instead of him just being given the most powerful quirk. It would be much more special here if Izuku just reaches his dream with just Emerald and the cards than with One For All as he would still be classified as quirkless which will still be inspiring."**

**A: Once again, One For All will not work the same way it did in canon. It's just a Prana Generator and a reason for Izuku and All Might to become close. It's definitely secondary, and just enables Izuku to Install Class Cards and Include higher level Noble Phantasms. Not necessarily on the second part, because honestly, that would still be considered as a Quirk. Using OP magic to become a Hero and being a Quirkless Hero are two different things. Honestly though, with how OP the Villains are in the manga right now, Izuku would have died if he didn't have OFA.**

**Anyways, that's all for the Reviews so let's get on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Opening Draw**

* * *

Izuku woke up with a groan.

He rubbed his eyes blearily, feeling more drained than he had in a while, even during the most intense of his workouts.

He was having the most awful dream. Quickly, he looked down and to his immense relief, he was wearing his normal clothes.

Izuku was grateful. At least that horrible outfit was just a twisted figment of his own imagination.

Now all he needed to do was-

**[Oh hey! You're awake now!]**

Izuku felt like crying.

Of course he wasn't _that_ lucky.

He quickly remembered everything that had happened before he passed out, and looked up to see Emerald floating over him.

"H-hey Emerald." he said nervously, getting up and taking a few steps back from the clearly dangerous wand.

**[Well, now that you're awake, you should probably get the card-holder and keep it on you.]**

Hurriedly, Izuku complied, not wanting the situation with the cards to become any worse.

He stuck the one card that had remained into the holder, and put it in his backpack.

**[Good! Now let me hide in your backpack and do some scans. I need to figure out what the full situation is and how we can proceed from here. Looking forward to working with you, Master!]**

His line said, Emerald flew into his backpack, leaving a pale Izuku standing there aimlessly.

He was _not_ looking forward to wearing that outfit again.

Izuku slowly sunk to his knees, before setting his backpack aside and leaning against the wall, trying to cope with all the revelations that had occurred.

Mostly _one_ occurrence, really: _Magic was real._

Not like rabbits out of hats and cheap card tricks, but actual _magic_, like the ones from manga and cartoons. Unless someone had a Reality Warping Quirk that made them pretty much omniscient, there was no way things like Emerald and the Cards could be _naturally_ made.

A clearly magical talking wand and glowy cards that decided to scram once his blood fell on them could _not_ be the product of anything natural or mundane. There was _clearly_ magic involved, and if that wasn't the case he would wear that horrid Magical Boy outfit Emerald stuck him in for the rest of his life.

The implications left him _stunned_.

What did this all _mean_?

Was there a secret society of magicians out there, or was he the first person to stumble upon something magical?

Was magic somehow related to the development of Quirks?

So many questions popped up in his head, but one stood out, more clear than all the others.

_'With magic, can I be a hero?'_

If this was really magic he was dealing with, then he could learn to cast spells, which could more or less make up for him being Quirkless! He could have... the power he'd never had before.

The power to make his dreams a reality.

No, no he was getting too ahead of himself. He had to be calm and rational right now. He still had no idea what those cards even _were_ and how he could get those back. For all he knew, despite what Emerald said, he could be in hot water with some big shot wizard, probably that creator he was talking about.

He couldn't get his hopes up without understanding everything. And with Emerald apparently running diagnostic tests, that left him with nothing to do but lament about how he had gotten dragged into _another_ unforeseen situation.

Izuku sighed.

Tamaki and Mirio were right; he _was_ a trouble magnet.

He perked up, however, when he heard the sound of the door opening and saw that Professor Washi had returned.

He was holding a brown folder in his hands, and although it was hard to tell due to the man having the head of an eagle due to his Quirk, Eagle Vision, he seemed quite giddy with excitement.

"Here." he said, holding out the folder to Izuku, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

Now Izuku was curious. What could be in that folder? Whatever it was, it seemed to make the Professor really excited, so it couldn't be a bad thing.

And honestly, Izuku could use some good news right about now.

He reached out and took it, and at the Professor's beckoning, opened it, and to his confusion, took out... a certificate?

And then he read the piece of paper, and then he went rigid as his eyes widened, his breath hitching in surprise as his eyes began to water.

This... This couldn't be...

"It is." said Professor Washi, with pride evident in his voice, as if he could read Izuku's mind. "Congratulations, _Dr_. Midoriya."

"H-how...?"

"This is something me and the others have been working on for a while now. You shouldn't underestimate the kind of connections that one can gain in the educational world as well. Don't take that the wrong way though; you earned your Doctorate in Quirk Analysis of your own merit. I only sped up the process so you didn't have to waste a decade sitting in college learning how to do something you've been doing better than the professionals since the age of _five_."

A Doctorate. The piece of paper he was holding in his hand marked him, Izuku Midoriya, as a _Doctor of Quirk Analysis_. Not even an Honorary Degree, but a full on _Master's Degree_, the _highest_ level of degree one could earn in that area. And from the I-Island University's Quirk Sciences Department, which was probably the most prestigious University of that specific area in the _world_.

Izuku began to feel weak at the knees, and his whole frame was trembling, but for the first time, it wasn't in fear or pain.

It was pure, unadulterated _joy_.

He was so _happy_ he felt like he was on cloud nine. For someone who had been told by the majority of his peers that he was _useless_ and would never amount to anything simply for being born without power, even being given a demeaning nickname such as _Deku_, a horrible twist on his name, this was a dream come true; this was probably an accomplishment that had never been achieved before.

All the business about Emerald and the Cards was driven from his mind as he sobbed in joy, dropping everything and hugging the elderly man with all his might. The man returned the embrace, happy to see such genuine joy in his young _colleague_, because the respect he had for Izuku would never let him see the boy as anything less.

He himself was an alumnus of I-Island Univeristy's General Sciences Department, where he had earned his degrees in language study and archeology. After coming across one of Izuku's Quirk Analysis Notebooks, which to his shock was written when he was _six_, and finding it somehow _better_ than the work of I-Island's _brightest_, he knew he couldn't let such potential remained untapped.

After learning more about Izuku from the people around Mustafu, and seeing with his own eyes just how _unfortunate_ he was, from the bullying he faced in school to his own Quirklessness and its interference with his dream of becoming a Hero, something which, to his amazement, didn't stop the boy from trying to help people in any way he could, Washi _knew_ he had to do _something_.

Izuku had improved the lives of _so many people_. He didn't even know it, but his work, helping them with their translations and progressing the Initiative's work far more than they could ever have imagined, had led to others achieving their own lofty goals and receiving world-wide recognition; which is why it didn't feel right to let such excellent work go unrewarded.

To his dismay, however, Izuku was stubbornly humble. He played off any praise and refused anything from them, unless they literally shoved it in his face and didn't give him an option, like they did when the gave him a ten-layered cake for his birthday. It was quite frustrating, as Professor Washi couldn't find anything suitable to really help Izuku the same way he had helped them, but had never given up in trying to repay the young boy.

And, to his own surprise, he _had_ found a way to do so quite recently. In hindsight, it was kind of obvious but kind of surprising at the same time.

It all happened a few weeks ago when the top Alumni of I-Island University were called back in order to go over the program's and exhibits for this year's I-Expo, as well as to just have a sort of informal reunion.

* * *

_Washi hated meetings with a passion if they involved decision-making of any kind; due to the fickle nature of democracy, it usually involved multiple people yelling about how they were right and the others were wrong, and was just general pandemonium. _

_"But my Hover-tech exhibit-"_

_"No! I'm telling you; Nanomachines, son!"_

_"WE NEED THE GODZILLO FLOAT! WE CAN'T START THE EXPO WITHOUT IT!"_

_Once agin, this was why he hated these sort of things; it basically amounted to grown men arguing like children._

_And these men and women were among the smartest people in the world._

_He was having none of that; he'd prepared beforehand and was reading one of Izuku's Quirk Analysis Notebooks on his tablet, which his mother had been kind enough to let him photocopy when he was away training with Mirio and Tamaki. Izuku had given him permission anyway and had even seemed overjoyed at the prospect of someone viewing his hobby in a positive light. It honestly made the Professor sad that bright young children like him had their talents ridiculed and downplayed by their peers. It honestly made his blood boil. The fragile but cautious look of hope and joy on Izuku's face when Washi had praised one of his notebooks had made the man disgusted with what the current generation was becoming._

_And how the adults often did nothing to stop such treatment. He wasn't blind; Quirkless people were treated as disabled second-class citizens by all age groups, not just children. Only the elderly, who made up 90% of the Quirkless population, were the exception, but with Quirkless people becoming rarer and rarer among the newer generations, it wouldn't matter. These people would be displaced from society, and fade away into oblivion. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why 76% of Quirkless Teenagers committed suicide by the age of fifteen. They were cast out and treated like their strengths were useless, just like they supposedly were for not having a Quirk._

_Not on his watch, though._

_Izuku Midoriya's talents would not be wasted. Either as a Hero or something else, Minato Washi would make sure that he would live a fulfilling life. _

_Right now, he was marveling and somewhat afraid of the fact that a child not even into his teenage years had pretty much mapped the strengths and weaknesses of the Underground Hero Eraserhead, as well as strategies for both fighting with and against the Erasure Hero, outlining possible synergistic strategies and maneuvers as well as practically feasible ideas for Support Items that could enhance his performance._

_And this was a man who the majority of the Japanese didn't even know __existed__. And how the hell did this kid find out about the Egg and the Trigger incidents?! Weren't those supposed to be secret or something? Hell, even he only knew about it because I-Island was asked by the Japanese government to find out just exactly what made the drug tick and how to neutralize it._

_He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't even realize that he was being called. It was only when the woman next to him jostled his shoulder did he come back to reality, meeting the somewhat curious eyes of David Shield. _

_"What's got you so hooked, Minato?" he asked, not feeling insulted by his lack of attention in the slightest. In fact his words drew the attention of all the other people who were in the room, mostly the people in charge of the various sects or Departments of I-Island University. People knew that he had razor focus, and even when he was in the meetings that he hated, he always paid attention and gave his own insight when needed._

_So to find the man engrossed in something to the point where he had tuned everything out was quite surprising._

_"Ah, sorry." he said apologetically. "I was just going over something that belonged to a colleague of mine, who's helping me with work for the Initiative back in Japan. Where were we?"_

_"Nothing much; we've finally come to a stable agreement over the timing and schedule of the Expo this year. What's it about?"_

_Leave it to David to focus on one thing. _

_To be fair though, Washi didn't want to focus on the planning that was going into the Expo either._

_"Quirk Analysis." said Washi. "This particular volume is on Underground Heroes and Vigilantes."_

_"Wait, what?" said one of the other people curiously._

_"Quirk Analysis?" asked David, surprised. Not that surprising on his part though; the man was the overseer of the Department of Quirk Studies. It was obvious he would be interested in something like this._

_Washi slid the tablet across the table._

_David Shield took one look at it, and promptly choked on his coffee._

_Moving the mug to the side hurriedly, his eyes wide in surprise, David hungrily read through the entry on the screen, ignoring the attention his actions were receiving from the other scientists._

_After a long minute, he slowly looked up and made eye contact with Washi, nearly shaking in his seat._

_"Holy sh*t." he said, earns a few shocked mutters from everyone._

_He tapped a few buttons, and suddenly the page was displayed on every screen in the room._

_One moment passed._

_Then everyone broke into shocked chatter as they stared, dazed, at what was before them._

_Washi's beak was curved into a grin._

_"I know, right?"_

_"W-who wrote this?" David asked, amazed._

_"A thirteen year old kid named Izuku Midoriya." said Washi._

_"What?!" yelled the lady next to him. Dr. Dunois, the Head of I-Island University's Chemistry Department, looked like she had been told that Santa Claus was real._

_"Wait, I thought you said a colleague wrote this." said David, confused, holding up a hand to silence the chatter._

_"He __is_ _my colleague. Izuku's helped us decipher ancient texts at ridiculous speeds, from all over the world. In fact, all the acclaim that we've been getting for our work in the initiative is mostly his. The kid's a genius when it comes to analytics; he's been studying Heroes since he could walk, and has an obsession with Quirks that can rival the force of All Might's punches. He has a whole bookshelf filled with these. This particular volume was written when he was __ten__. And it took him approximately half an hour to get it all down. And twenty-five minutes of that was spent digging for videos and information on Eraserhead."_

_Silence reigned in the conference hall._

_Washi wasn't surprised; being fellow professionals, everyone present could tell at a glance just how __valuable_ _Izuku's work was._

_"Some kind of enhanced perception Quirk like Ragdoll's Search, then?" said Dunois, bobbing her head in appreciation. "That's brilliant. No offense, David, but I think even you would be hard pressed to come up with an analysis this thorough in five minutes, on an Undergound Hero as reclusive as this one."_

_"None taken. This is amazing..." said David, adjusting his glasses. "I'd like to meet this boy very much. This is above Doctorate-level work right here."_

_"Oh, and by the way, Dunois..." said Washi, grinning internally as he dropped the last bombshell. "Izuku Midoriya was diagnosed as Quirkless at the age of four."_

_Silence reigned once more in the conference hall, but this time it was like everyone had forgotten how to breathe. _

_David's eyes were wide as saucers, no doubt because he had a daughter who was Quirkless as well and because the implications of a ten year old child being able to come up with something like this without any sort of power but raw __talent_ _spoke volumes._

_He took a deep breath before digging out a form, and writing something on it._

_"I, David Shield, as the Headmaster of I-Island University and the Director of the Quirk Studies Department, hereby grant Izuku Midoriya a Master's Degree, a Doctorate in Quirk Analysis, and of course invite him to I-Island for the next I-Expo so we can meet personally. I know this breaks a lot of regulations, but I'll be honest; I don't give a damn. Does anyone have any objections?"_

_No one spoke a word._

_"Good, then it's settled." he said, satisfied. _

_"Oh, and Minato?"_

_"Yes, David?"_

_"Do you have any more of those Notebooks?"_

_Washi grinned._

* * *

Washi himself had been stunned by what had happened; he knew David would have been impressed, but he didn't realize that he would go so far as to literally give away a _master's degree and a doctorate,_ pretty much breaking all the regulations.

Then again, I-Island wasn't under the jurisdiction of any nation, so they could do whatever the hell they wanted, because the fact of the matter was that they never gave accolades without a unanimous approval and they didn't give them for no reason either.

But it was worth it; Izuku's happiness was all that he needed. The kid had more than earned it, working so much harder than people his age.

Once he had calmed down, relatively speaking, Izuku drew out the next items in the folder; a pair of tickets.

"Dr. Shield wanted to meet you personally, after seeing your work." said Washi, laughing at how the boy's eyes went as wide as saucers when he heard the esteemed scientist's name.

"So he gave you two tickets to I-Island, one for you and one for Midoriya-san. They're for the upcoming I-Expo, and I'm sure someone like you will have a heck of a time there. Of course, you've also been invited to dinner with the Shield family the day before."

Izuku's heart wasn't beating properly anymore. He was pretty sure he was bursting his blood vessels from simultaneous surprise and joy, if that was even possible.

_The_ David Shield, who once worked with _All Might_, and one of the best scientists in the world, wanted to meet _him_?!

"You should have more faith in yourself, Izu-chan!" he said, laughing heartily. "Your talents are much greater than anyone can imagine; they just needed to reach the right people to be brought into the light. As both a colleague and a fellow Doctorate, I congratulate you."

"T-thank y-you sir!" said Izuku, overwhelmed and trying to reign in his tears. "F-for b-believing in m-me, and for helping m-me g-get so far!"

"What did I tell you; this was all you. I had almost _nothing_ to do with this, besides carrying your Quirk Analysis Notebooks at the right place and time. This is all the result of _your_ hard work and talent. Also, if you insist, consider this my thanks on behalf of everyone in the Initiative for the stellar work you've done. Besides, the best is yet to come."

Izuku looked at the eagle-headed man in surprise. There was _more_?!

Izuku wasn't sure if his feeble heart could _take_ anymore excitement.

"I recently met an old friend of mine... and he was interested in you. How would you like to be a teacher at U.A.? The Hero Course students could apparently use a Professional for their newly-introduced Quirk Analysis classes."

Professor Washi had to shield himself when he was washed away by a flood of Izuku's tears.

* * *

Izuku walked towards U.A. that afternoon with a skip in his step. He seemed to be _radiating_ joy, so much so that people instinctively smiled at him when they saw him pass, especially those who knew him.

Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time he had been so happy.

Ever since he had been diagnosed as Quirkless, Izuku always had what seemed like a dark cloud at the edge of his mind, which only grew larger with every taunt and jeer that his classmates had thrown at him, especially Kacchan's. Even when he trained with Mirio and Tamaki and had fun with them, he couldn't shake that irrational fear.

The fear that he would never be able to accomplish _anything _worthwhile; the fear that he really _was_ just a Quirkless, useless Deku.

In spite of having more of a support base than many of his counterparts across the multiverse, Izuku still couldn't get through years of physical, verbal and mental abuse at the hands of his peers unscathed. It was impossible, especially when he refused to tell anyone about it simply because he didn't want to ruin anyone's lives, especially Kacchan's, by causing them to gain a black mark on their records.

But now? Now he _knew_, that he wasn't useless, that he wasn't just a wooden puppet without strings. He had achieved what he could safely say no one his age ever had, Quirk or no.

He was a Doctor (of Quirk Analysis) now, at the age of thirteen, and had actually been given a job offer to _teach_ at the most prestigious Hero High School in East Japan. Once again, at thirteen.

According to Professor Washi, Principal Nezu requested him to come tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 P.M. if he was interested in taking up the job.

Was he going to take it? He wasn't quite sure yet.

"Hey Izu! What'cha thinking about?"

He was interrupted from his musing when Mirio popped up through the ground in front of him, causing him to scream in surprise and fall backwards.

Thankfully, Mirio was wearing his special clothes, and hadn't flashed anyone in public, like the _numerous times _he had done so before. Tamaki wasn't far behind him, and exasperated look on his face.

"H-hey Mirio, Tamaki." he replied in greeting, getting to his feet again. "N-nothing much. How did you guys do on the Exam?"

"It was _easy_." said Mirio, his voice filled with righteous pride. "All we had to do was stomp robots, and with the trick you taught me it was a piece of cake to turn them into scrap! Me and Tamaki were in different Centeres though, so I can't say anything about him."

"I did fine." said Tamaki quietly, his head held low as usual in contrast to Mirio's upbeat nature. "The swordfish came in handy."

"I-I'm glad!" said Izuku, genuinely happy that his friends had done well. Today just seemed to be a good day overall.

"What about you, Izu? You seem really excited all of a sudden?" said Mirio, tilting his head.

"Izuku took the certificate from his bag, being careful to avoid touching Emerald, who was doing... _something_, and showed it to them.

"N-no way..." said Mirio, with a rare stutter, his eyes wide in shock.

Tamaki was speechless, his eyes looking like that of a large trout.

"M-me and mom were invited to I-Expo too, and _ohmyGodDavidShieldinvitedusfordinner_!" he squeaked out, keeping his voice low, although his words devolved into a high-pitched shriek at the end.

Both boys were unnaturally still for a few moments, before Mirio grinned widely and clapped him on the shoulder. "Looks like _you're_ the one who's getting ahead of _us_, right Tamaki?"

"Congratulations I-izuku. I k-know t-this means a lot to you."

"Don't you mean, _'Doctor Midoriya'_, Tamaki?"

Izuku flushed red in embarrassment but hugged his friends all the same.

Today was a great day.

* * *

After saying his goodbyes to his friends, who had gone home afterwards to recover from the strain they underwent at the Exam, Izuku made his own way home, waving to the people he knew on the way home. He didn't say anything about his new degree though; Professor Washi and Dr. Shield had taken steps to make sure his accomplishments had gone through the private channels, something he was grateful for.

He expected to find his mother there, but to his surprise she was out, and a note stuck to the fridge said that she would be back for dinner, in a few hours.

He plopped down on his bed with a sigh, letting his bag rest on the floor next to it.

It was then that Emerald decided to make himself known.

**[Do you want the good news, or the bad news Doc?]**

Izuku flushed in embarrassment at the title. "T-there's no need to c-call me that, Emerald-san."

**[On the contrary, Izuku, that's quite an impressive achievement! Even those among the Throne couldn't accomplish something like this easily.]**

"T-the Throne? What's that?"

**[We'll get to that in a moment. Now, do you want the good news or the bad news?]**

Izuku whimpered.

"Bad news." he said, bracing himself for the impact.

**[It's actually your lack of magical potential that's going to be our biggest hurdle going forth.]**

"O-oh?"

**[It isn't you, buddy. You actually have the highest magical potential out of all the people in the entire city, but unfortunately that isn't saying much. You see, using magic, and by extension, Mystic Codes like me, requires a little something called a Magic Circuit, which is a pseudo-nervous tissue that allows the conduction and utilization of magical energy, just like how a real circuit works with electricity. You currently have seven Cicuits; two near your brain, one near your heart, and one for each limb. I'll be frank; that's already way below average, but what's worse is that they're of pretty poor quality and they're already beginning to atrophy due to disuse. Of course, since I've activated your Circuits, that shouldn't happen anymore, but that damage has already been done. Going forwards, I'll go on a hunch and say that we're going to have a lot of energy problems.]**

Izuku winced. That didn't sound very good. From all the video games he'd played and the Hero fights he'd seen, he knew that having low stamina/energy could be fatal in a hostile environment. This didn't seem very good at all.

**[These... 'Quirks' seem to have some sort of connection to the almost complete lack of magic in this universe. I say this because everyone with a Quirk that I've seen until now and scanned, which is basically everyone but you and that one lady with the platypus, has no Magic Circuits. It's like the Quirk Factor prevents magic from being conducted at all. Since you're Quirkless, you're actually a perfect candidate. However, since magic is, once again, out of fashion in a manner of speaking, the amount of Circuits present in humans has diminished drastically.]**

"Is there nothing you can do about it, Emerald-san?" asked Izuku, intrigued by the explanation. Once again, he wondered if there was some tangible relation between magic and Quirks.

The floating wand seemed to... droop, for lack of a better term, letting out a bitter sigh.

**[If it were Ruby or Sapphire here, they could probably have done something about it. But I'm the defective prototype; if I could access the Mana Plane properly like they could, I could give you **_**unlimited**_ **magical energy. But, since I can't do it for long without being overwhelmed and this world has almost **_**no**_ **natural Mana to draw from, we're stuck at a stalemate. What's more is that without proper magical channels, even if I can supply you with magical energy it'll all just go to waste since you don't have many pathways for it to travel through, which means fighting is going to be even costlier. Thankfully, I've been charging for a while now, so we'll have enough energy for a fight or two. But I have no idea how to procure more magical energy. While I can recharge when out of combat, recovering power **_**during**_ **combat is going to be a big problem.]**

"W-wait, what do you mean, _combat_?" asked Izuku

**[How do you think we're going to get the Class Cards back? Each Class Card contains a Heroic Spirit form the Throne of Heroes, a memory of the people who have performed great deeds and have been enshrined in legend. Right now, they're probably in the Mirror World absorbing whatever energy they can before they can manifest properly and go rampant. In order to seal them back up, we need to defeat them in battle. And right now, you're the only person in the world who can do that, both the defeating part, thanks to me, and most importantly the sealing part, which is what no one else can do even if they somehow manage to subdue a Heroic Spirit. They'll just repair themselves and come back if they aren't sealed.]**

Izuku's eyes widened. A Throne of Heroes? It sounded like a hall of fame for _legends_. But there was a more important question to be asked.

"_How_ are we supposed to defeat these Heroic Spirits if they're the strongest humanity has to offer?" he asked nervously.

**[Eh, don't worry about it. You've probably watched enough anime to know how **_**that's**_ **going to go down.]**

"You're not exactly filling me with confidence, Emerald-san!"

**[Anyways, the good news is that I already have the location of the first Class Card to make itself known. And since we have a few hours to spare before your mother gets back, I think I should show you the ropes.]**

"Emerald-san, I think we should be a little more careful and go over things slowly." said Izuku timidly, not very pleased with how Emerald was rushing them.

The newly minted Dr. Midoriya hadn't expected his day to turn out like this in the least. He had been training for years, yes, but that was mostly physical fitness, not _actual_ combat training. He didn't have any combat training, which was why he found it highly ridiculous that he somehow had to defeat legendary heroes.

"Where are the Cards exactly and what's wrong with them?"

**[The Cards are in the Mirror World, and are currently absorbing energy to further fuel their corruption and distort the dimensional barrier, which can destroy our concepts of **_**space and time**_**, among other things. That's why it's important that we get there as fast as we can and seal them up. Because otherwise, the world's going to **_**end**_**. As a Kalied Liner, even though you're bonded to me and not my sisters, you should have the capacity to take on a Heroic Spirit, so have some confidence in yourself!]**

"I-if y-you say so." he stuttered, deep in thought.

This was worse than he thought; there were a bunch of corrupted Heroic Spirits that could destroy the world, and he was the only one who could stop them and seal them back into their card forms.

It was really hard to believe, but the proof was right in front of him. After everything he had seen that day, some part of him had already accepted what needed to be done.

Besides, wasn't this what he was training for? To be a hero?

_To help people in need?_

Saving the world seemed like something that aligned with his own goals in life.

But there was still one major problem, his lack of combat experience and the energy issue aside.

"Emerald-san, we'll be arrested for vigilantism if we use magic in front of people, since the law forbids people from using their Quirk without a license that permits it or in public property, and they'll just think magic is a Quirk of some kind. I want to save people, because it's my dream to become a Hero like All Might, but we'll only be seen as dangerous criminals if we try to seal the Class Cards and end up having to fight them in public."

And because Izuku wouldn't be caught dead wearing that outfit in public, but Emerald didn't need to know about that.

The wand, which was orbiting around him, let out a few peals of laughter.

**[Don't worry about it! The Mirror World can't be entered without **_**my**_ **help, since there's pretty much no magic in this world, so it'll just be us and the Heroic Spirit in a mirror replica of whatever area we transported from, which also means there's no need to worry about collateral damage.]**

Izuku was still tense at the prospect of fighting _legendary Heroes_, but still relaxed a little when he heard that it wouldn't technically involve him doing anything illegal.

Unless it was against the law to hop dimensions.

Izuku sighed, rubbing his green hair with his hands.

There were so many things that could possibly go wrong.

But at the same time, this was his calling. He would face dangerous fights in the future if he became a Pro Hero, which meant this could be somewhat of a learning experience that he could use in order to be a better Hero in the future.

"Where do we have to go, Emerald-san?"

**[Heh. I knew you'd come around.]**

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Izuku, holding his nose.

Of course, due to his incredible luck, Emerald had led him to the Mustafu Landfill. The scent of trash was in the air as mountains of raw garbage were piled up as far as the eye could see ... and the nose could smell.

It wasn't very pleasant, as you could probably imagine.

**[Yep. The dimensional distortion is **_**definitely**_ **coming from this area.]**

Welp, there went his hope that Emerald was just pranking him.

"S-so the Cards aren't actually present in this world, which is why I can't see the, right?"

**[Exactly. We need to dive into the Mirror World to retrieve them before they can cause dimensional distortions too large to contain. I think the exact location we need to be in is near that old action figure over there a few meters away. Normally, we would need to wait until midnight to do this, but since the magic of this world is so weak, we don't need to worry about any resistance.]**

Izuku went over to the area that Emerald had gestured to with one of his wings, and let out a horrified gasp.

"W-who w-would _throw away_ a limited edition All Might Silver Age Series action figure?!" he exclaimed in horror, nearly falling to his knees in shock.

Emerald floated awkwardly behind him before coughing to get his attention.

**[We can worry about the doll later. Now, it's time for us to get into battle mode!]**

Ignoring Izuku's indignant squawk, Emerald flew into his outstretched hand, and in a flash of green light Izuku had transformed, his outfit being replaced by the Magical Boy outfit he was having daymares about, if only because he hadn't gone to sleep yet. If Kacchan actually _saw_ _him_ in something like this, he might actually die of laughter.

Mirio and Tamaki would just find it adorable, and distribute it to everyone in the city, which was even worse.

While Izuku was going through the early stages of PTSD, Emerald had begun his preparations, though not before resolving to design a better costume. Honestly, he wasn't a big fan of the whole 'Magical Boy' theme that much either since it wasn't GAR enough, and while Izuku certainly could turn heads in it, he might actually suffer a heart attack out of pure _shame_ mid-battle if he had to fight against someone in it, which was a horrible way to go.

Oh well, he knew what to do on the boy's laptop when he went to bed.

**[Adding Imaginary Axis to the Fifth Instrument Variable.]**

Izuku let out a Yelp of shock as a golden circle appeared beneath his feet, humming with power, casting a glow that refracted off all the trash lying around.

**[Beginning Inversion Preparations.]**

Energy began to flood his being as his own Circuits thrummed in response to Emerald's magic, though it was weak and feeble in comparison.

**[Confirming that Complex Space Exists.]**

The world began to... _dissociate_, for lack of a better word, and for a moment Izuku could have sworn he was seeing double.

**[Central Coordinates Established.] **

A small pool of light coalesced beneath his feet, and then branched out as thick green lines, forming a magic circle with various runes and magical letters he couldn't identify, with a four-pointed star filling it in.

**[Establishing Mirror Road with a 2 Meter Radius.]**

The magic circle began to glow brightly as it started to activate, while Izuku looked around and was glad that no one was present to witness the light show, because he honestly did not want to explain what was going on to anyone who stumbled upon them.

**[Beginning Partial Inversion of Mirror World Circuits.]**

He could see it now, and it was all so... clear.

As if seeing an infinite reflection in two opposing mirrors.

It was... _mesmerizing_.

**[Coordinates Stabilized.]**

The circle beneath his feet faded as its job was completed.

**[Dimensional Transport Complete!]**

"Wow." breathed Izuku, taking his first glance at the Mirror World.

Initially, it seemed like he hadn't changed location at all from where he had been standing earlier, but the dome-like structure in the sky, composed of many different polygons resembling glass, that enclosed the landfill separately from the rest of the world, was the main difference that stood out.

Everything else, from the objects to the smell remained the same, but at the same time there was this disconcerting feeling that Izuku couldn't quite identify.

**[Pretty awesome, right? I can show you the sights later; for now let's keep an eye out for the Class Card. I have a Radar Mode I've been wanting to test out for just this occasion, anyway!]**

Emerald glowed green before a screen slid over his star, showing what looked like a classic radar screen.

Oddly enough, there didn't seem to be anyone but them there, although both he and Emerald were indicated with only one dot.

"Why did you make my dot red? Shouldn't _enemies_ be red in traditional radar?"

**[Uhhh... I _didn't_. Your dot isn't red; it's **_**green**_**.]**

Izuku looked up.

And as he saw the edge of the blade headed straight for his face, Izuku realized something important.

Maybe that day wasn't such a good day after all.

* * *

**And that's a wrap, ladies and gentlemen!**

**As you can see, things have really changed. For those of you who think I'm exaggerating Izuku's intelligence, remember that in canon he was able to disassemble Stain's Quirk and its weakness in the middle of a fight for their lives, which was the only reason they were able to win against him. Izuku really is _that_ smart; he just doesn't use it much in canon because no one encouraged him too and he keeps trying to copy All Might without thinking about OFA the way he would when analyzing someone else's Quirk. **

**But now? With more support than he had in canon and people actively encouraging him to _improve_ his analytical skills? He's on a whole new level than he was in canon, probably around Apotheosis level. People would _literally_ kill in MHA for that kind of analytical ability, which is why David Shield reacted like that and saved him over a decade of college life.**

**And lastly, the teacher route. Something that hasn't really been explored in the fandom. Since canon is still 2 years away, I wanted Izuku to interact with the third years and the teachers in another way; by joining U.A's Staff. What do you guys think? I'm game, but if too many people say no, I'll avoid it and do something else. He has the merits and accolades for it, so I say 'why not'?**

**And our boy is going to go to I-Island much earlier than in canon, since he just got a new number one fan.**

**That's all I've really got to say. As for the Class Cards, I'll probably avoid using joke Servants like Jaguar Warrior or Duplicate Servants like the Santa Alters. **

**Well, I'll see you next time, where the real action begins!**

**Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone, it is I, the Phoenix, bringing you the second chapter update of this new year.**

**I have to say that my update schedule might be slower until about March because I have my semester exams at the beginning of February.**

**That's why I'm not going to yap any longer and will go straight to the Reviews. Like I said in Multiplayer, people have been telling me that I've been wasting too much space answering the Reviews, so since most of them say the same thing anyways, I will just answer them in a paragraph or two.**

**First thing I'd like to address is the overwhelming support for Izuku to teach at U.A., so I will go ahead and continue down that road. A few people have asked me about what Class Cards are being used, and I will say one thing; any of them, from any Fate. The first few Cards will be Japanese, for the reason I explained in the Chapter, but any Servant may appear except for the Alters (except Jeanne, who was actually created due to the Holy Grail) and the swimsuit Servants. **

**Now, there are many people who criticized me for Izuku being good enough to get a degree at thirteen, but keep in mind that he has actually honed this ability far more than he did in canon, meaning he's way better at Quirk Analysis because people actually encouraged him to use his talents. Degrees can be revoked, and Izuku is being invited to I-Expo so that the people there can get to know him better.**

**For those of you who wanted Izuku to become a vigilante; that's actually a curious idea due to the irony of a U.A. teacher being a vigilante. I was originally planning for it, so I'll see what I can do. **

**Izuku's magic will be revealed at a later date, because I wasn't sure about giving it to him in the first place because he has Emerald.**

**I don't actually know about Cardcaptor Sakura and Magister Nejima, but this is mainly based off of Kaleid. As for Frozen Flame, who basically criticized the _two chapters_ that I've written as much as he or she possibly could, please wait a few chapters if you want 'show, and not tell'. The first two chapters were just to set the background and the changes to canon that have happened due to Izuku taking a different route. The first chapter was partially a homage to Brilliant Lights, since it was abandoned and was the source of my inspiration. That's all. Nothing else has any relation to it. If you actually give me a few chapters to flesh out my plot and characters at my usual pace, since I've established the background now, you will see everything that you've asked for. This isn't a power fantasy, no matter how popular those may be, and Izuku has a _hard_ path ahead of him. I'm not a professional author, so please bear with me while I set up my story with these first few chapters.**

**Anyways, thank you all for your overwhelming support and kind words, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3 - First Blood**

* * *

Izuku strafed forward, moving out of the way just in time to see his assailant smash down on the ground where he had been standing moments earlier, cracking the earth upon touchdown and releasing a small shockwave.

**[HOLY SH*T!]**

His sentiments exactly.

With Emerald in hand, Izuku laid eyes on his very first heroic spirit, a rather attractive young woman that seemed only a year or two older than him, with pale blonde hair and green eyes that were tinged with black veins that seemed to spread across her face, something that was no doubt a sign of the corruption that Emerald had spoken of, because there was _no way_ that creepy face-cracks were healthy. She was wearing a strange white and green uniform, with a black sash and a black scarf whose ends trailed after her. The lady wore knee-high boots, and had a lone ahoge sticking out of her hair to the left like a lone horn, with a black bow peeking out from behind her head.

And, of course, who could forget the big-a*s katana she held in one outstretched hand, while the scabbard was fastened to her side and held loosely by the other.

While she may not have looked intimidating, except for the creepy corrupted veins all over her face and probably her body as well from what she could see, but the Heroic Spirit in question seemed to radiate a _presence_ that was trying to freeze the air in his lungs and paralyze him from its sheer _force_ alone, something Izuku had only experienced once before when he had gotten too close to a powerful villain one time when stalk- er, _observing_ a Pro Hero. This was a power that could only be obtained and exerted by the _strong_, and so Izuku knew he was in _big_ trouble.

"D-didn't you say that Servant's were Heroes from the past? I've never seen this lady in my life! And she doesn't look so well either!"

Said lady seemed to resent that, because within the blink of an eye she was in front of him, katana raised to bisect him for such an insolent question.

Izuku's eyes widened in panic before he held Emerald, whose handle had extended to accommodate him, like a quarterstaff, and caught the blow on the shaft, causing sparks to fly. Izuku found himself being slowly pushed back as the Servant refused to let up from the blow it had struck, growling gutturally like she had lost her mind.

**[Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! She's a Saber-Class Servant, the strongest of the seven normal Classes of Heroic Spirits! Izuku, we need to get some distance between us! You can't fight her in a battle of weapons; Sabers tend to be the cream of the crop, extremely talented swordsman who have cut down gods and monsters alike! Use your imagination and channel your thoughts into me, and we can launch our own attacks!]**

"R-right!" exclaimed Izuku, before waving Emerald, who had retracted his handle back to his normal length, in a small cone in front of him while envisioning a shotgun blast.

**[Scatter Shot!]**

To his amazement, Emerald glowed before firing a spread of green energy bolts that peppered the Servant, kicking up a cloud of smoke from the force of the small explosions.

Izuku immediately took off running, not willing to look behind him, because he had seen enough American horror films to know how _that_ plan of action would play out.

The whistling wind as his opponent's blade slashed through the air, dissipating the smoke with one clean strike was an accurate indicator that he was right.

And he _really_ hated being right sometimes.

"That didn't do anything!" yelled Izuku, ducking out of the way as another slash almost removed his head.

He blocked another two strikes with Emerald, and then released another Scatter Shot and bolted, sliding behind one of the many piles of junk that littered the Mustafu Junkyard, slightly winded.

If it hadn't been for the 'endurance training' (Mirio beating the crap out of him and Tamaki), Izuku doubted he would have even made it this far.

As it was, however, he needed to come up with a plan of action, and _fast_. His face contorted into a serious expression as his so-called battle persona took over, his mind moving at a couple hundred miles per hour.

A wet cough was all that Izuku heard before the top of the trash heap he was hiding behind was cut in half, both sides sliding downwards diagonally, revealing his position to his adversary, who was... bleeding from the lips?

Izuku registered that fact and stored it in his mind as he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another slash that seemed to warp the very air around it. He took off running in the opposite direction, zigzagging without any true pattern in order to ensure that any long-range attacks his enemy may have had wouldn't have an easy time hitting him.

**[This is really bad... I thought that we would get an easier Servant like Caster or even Rider so I could show you the ropes, but instead we ran into a Saber right off the bat! Our attacks won't work too well because Sabers are **_**known**_ **for their ability to resist magical attacks. Sorry to say, with the level of power we have, even though her Parameters have been severely reduced due to a lack of magical energy, and her Magic Resistance is **_**really**_ **bad for someone of the Saber Class, only a physical attack is going to do the job.]**

Izuku mumbled under his breath, working overtime to analyze the situation when another hacking cough indicated his absurdly fast opponent had reached him one more time, clearly unimpressed with his cat-and-mouse game.

Okay, she was _definitely_ bleeding from the lips.

While most people wouldn't have noticed that small detail, due to only a drop or two being present at the edge of her chin, Izuku, who had literally been up in her personal space whenever he tried to use Emerald like a staff to block her strikes, both noticed it and realized something.

"Emerald!" he yelled, striking the Kaleidostick against his opponent's katana, causing the green wand to whine as his handle sparked from the collision. "Can Heroic Spirits get sick?"

**[No? I mean, unless it's a part of their legend or something, Heroic Spirits are usually in peak physical condition. They may be weakened when they aren't getting enough magical energy to properly sustain them, but that's about it.]**

"A part of their legend..." murmured Izuku as he rolled out of the way of a downwards slash, shooting his opponent in the face with a bolt of green energy, not that it did much.

Already, his... _costume_ was starting to get littered with small, bleeding cuts from all the near-misses that he had, and the pain he was under slowly began to rise with each strike.

Hissing in pain as he stumbled backwards from a horizontal slash, scraping himself on a crushed can of cola that had been there, Izuku desperately tried to use his greatest strength in order to figure out who he was facing.

Judging by the garb, and the choice of weapon, the Heroic Spirit was clearly Japanese in nationality, even though blonde hair wasn't all that common during the Pre-Quirk Era.

That only narrowed it down to a few people, but none of them, from what he could remember, were female because of the gender discrimination that was prevalent back in those days.

But it was the coughing that gave it away. Bloody cough, or Hemoptysis, was an uncommon symptom that occurred for a _variety_ of diseases. However, Emerald said that Heroic Spirits were immune to disease, unless they were reputed for it. This meant, that the Saber was a Japanese Swordsmaster known for a disease whose defining symptom was Hemoptysis.

The Pre-Quirk Era Hero, Captain of the fabled Shinsengumi's First Unit, Okita Souji, was known for having 'consumption', a disease known better in the modern day as tuberculosis, which eventually led to him (her?) being removed from the battlefront of those times, where he (she?) ended up dying due to it.

It was really a stretch to assume that much, but Okita Souji was one of the most famous Japanese Pre-Quirk national legends.

Okay, now that he knew that... he still had no idea what to do. However, he was quickly formulating a plan, based on the one thing that he _did_ know.

Tuberculosis was a b*tch.

Which meant the only way to defeat her was to aggravate her condition, because anyone suffering from chronic tuberculosis probably wouldn't do very well in a fight.

Her only visible symptom seemed to be her bloody cough, which meant he would have to irritate her respiratory tract and make it harder for her to breathe in order to survive.

Fortunately, Izuku knew just how to make people cough, due to years of experience.

The green-haired boy knocked the incoming slash aside with Emerald, and did the only thing he could; deliver a haymaker to the stomach.

To his surprise, his ploy actually worked, and the Servant's eyes widened as his fist sunk into her stomach, causing her to hack up a large amount of blood, which Izuku thankfully managed to avoid.

The Heroic Spirit dropped her sword, wheezing and coughing as the skinny-looking green bean nearly cracked her ribs with a single punch.

**[Holy Sh*t! How are you **_**that**_ **strong?! I mean, even though I'm enhancing your physical strength, that was ridiculous!]**

"Training... with a guy who can snap a grown man's arm with a single punch." wheezed Izuku, as the woman he was facing stumbled away from him, her face red as she continued to cough, hacking up large amounts of blood that Izuku was pretty sure should have caused her to die of Haemorrhagic Shock by this point.

It wasn't enough though. The woman slowly wiped her lips, and within a second had closed the distance between them, landing a direct hit across Izuku's chest, causing him to scream in pain as he stumbled back, his whole torso being covered in one, long, and ugly bruise that followed the path of the blade, his outfit having nearly been shredded in the process.

**[Izuku! Are you all right?! I diverted all power to physical protection, but it was barely enough to hold her back!]**

"I'm... okay." grunted Izuku, wincing as he got up and dodged the relentless assault from the Saber.

All he had been doing so far was dodging, and even though he had a _lot_ of stamina, he was certain that a Hero so legendary they literally reached the Hero Hall of Fame would easily have more than him, even if said hero was sickened.

Even though his muscles screamed from the strain and his wounds began to wear him down, Izuku kept dodging as if his life had depended on it, barely surviving the lightening-fast strikes of his assailant.

"I need you to buy me some time!" yelled Izuku, throwing a bottle of Iced Tea that the Saber bisected neatly, causing both halves to fly past her. Guess she didn't like Snapple.

**[On it. Izuku, throw me!]**

"What?" asked Izuku, dumbfounded.

**[Just do it!]**

"Okay!" yelled Izuku, throwing Emerald with all of his strength, before sliding over to a bottle of alcohol that had been abandoned half empty. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

**[I'm a facehugger, b*tch!] **yelled Emerald, latching onto the Heroic Spirit's _face_ and blasting it with whatever energy he had left.

The Heroic Spirit dropped her katana again as she struggled to pry the stubborn wand off of her face, reeling from the pain of being blasted straight in the eyes with raw magical power.

It was only luck that the attack worked, as the Saber in question both had low Magical Resistance and Endurance, causing her to be blinded by Emerald's assault.

Emerald blasted himself off of the Saber's face, flying through the air due to the force of his own explosion-induced momentum, landing firmly in Izuku's outstretched hand, as the boy threw the bottle in his other hand, nailing the Servant in the face, causing her face to be cut by the glass shards and her clothes to be drenched with alcohol.

Without wasting a moment, Izuku pointed the wand forward, and fired a shot of magical energy that lit the alcohol up, creating an impromptu Molotov Cocktail that burned the Heroic Spirit, prolonging and enhancing her agony.

Izuku flinched as the smell of burning flesh filled the air, the Servant's attempts to put out the fire having no effect as the embers continued to burn bright. Soon, the lack of breathable air began to get to her and the smoke irritated her respiratory epithelium, causing her to burst out into a series of horrible coughs that only seemed to get progressively worse as more and more smoke entered her lungs.

He _hated_ doing this to someone, even if that person was trying to kill him and had actually come pretty close. It didn't make him feel like a hero at all. Instead, there was a lump in his stomach that refused to fade as he beheld his own handiwork with horrified fascination.

**[Izuku, don't feel bad. This needed to be done, in order to protect people. If you 'kill' her, it will destabilize her Spirit Origin and cause her to return to Card form, where we can seal her away so that she can't run wild and cause any more harm.]**

"O-okay." said Izuku, even though he still felt like _vomiting_ at the sight of what he had done.

With shaking hands, he picked up the Servant's abandoned sword, and after taking a deep breath, hesitating, stabbed her in the gut with it.

Thankfully, there was no blood, and instead the burning figure dissipated into motes of golden light, revealing a single card floating in a golden halo, with the image of a knight holding a sword on it, the word 'Saber' written on it in English.

"W-what d-do I do now?" asked Izuku, gasping for breath as the adrenaline began to leave his system.

**[Just focus your magic and envision some kind of restraint. I can do the rest.]**

"G-got it." he hissed, as his wounds began to act up.

Izuku, his arm shaking from the strain, pointed Emerald at the card, envisioning the new Hero Kamui Woods' Lacquered Chain Prison technique.

To his surprise, a green magical circle with a four pointed star in the center burned into existence, chains erupting from it and binding the card before vanishing in a flash of light, causing the blackened borders of the card to be violently expelled before they were replaced with a healthy gold color.

The card then floated towards him and deposited itself in his card-holder,

**[Heroic Spirit Capture: Complete!] **said Emerald triumphantly, before he flopped on the ground, no longer able to remain airborne, next to his partner, who had collapsed from both exhaustion (physical and magical) and his injuries the moment the card had been sealed. **[Now I'm beat.]**

However, things weren't always that easy.

Emerald blanched as he picked up _another_ energy signature homing in on them, seemingly attracted to the energy given off by the sealing.

**[Crap! A Caster?!]**

That was bad, not because Casters were the hardest Class to deal with, but rather because they could absorb magical energy the fastest, or in some cases could generate it on their own, meaning they could get back up to full strength much faster than any of the other Classes.

Which was _clearly_ something they weren't prepared to face, considering Izuku had nearly been killed by a weakened Saber Class whose Parameters were so low that she was _barely_ above human levels. In fact, the only reason she had appeared so quickly probably had something to do with both the fact that she didn't seem to require as much Mana as most Servants and the fact that she received a Territory Boost from being in Japan, even though her legend was probably forgotten. From what little Emerald had seen of this Era they were in, legends of the past were long forgotten, because the legends of the future and the present were much more tangible. This was a world where nearly _everyone_ had some kind of power, and Heroes fought Villains on a daily basis in public. People no longer _needed_ the legends of the past to draw hope and inspiration from; they had _more_ than enough in the present.

It was actually kind of sad, to be honest.

Emerald blearily floated in the air, trying to see where to Servant was, only to have his question answered in the form of a large orb of violet light heading straight towards them.

Cursing, Emerald diverted all the Mana he could muster into the Mana Barrier in order to protect Izuku from the blast, only to find out that he had lost too much power restricting the damage done by Saber to mere cuts and bruises.

Even so, he floated protectively over his partner, straining himself to draw out as much Mana as he possibly could from the Mana Plane in order to save his Master.

Luckily for them, though, backup had arrived.

A figure landed in front of them, using what looked like a spear to bat away the purple ball of probable death towards a nearby pile of junk, causing it to be _vaporized_ by the heat and force of the spell.

If Emerald had eyes, they would have been widened in surprise. As it was, though, the two emeralds in his ring had actually gotten bigger as he went bug-eyed.

**[Y-you a-are...]**

"Do not worry." said the figure serenely, in a calm and gentle voice. "I, Servant Ruler, will not allow harm to befall my Master. I will protect you from this Caster; can you take us out of the Mirror World?"

**[Yes! Just give me a few seconds.]**

"Very well."

The Caster attacking them, who still remained nearly unseen, obscured by some of the garbage, fired more magical blasts that were all swiftly dispatched by carefully aimed strikes from Ruler's 'spear', which actually turned out to be a battle standard of sorts which she used expertly as a combat flag.

The ineffectiveness of the attacks was surprising, but Emerald didn't dwell on it further as he finished making the preparations needed to get back to the real world.

**[I'm ready! Let's go, Ruler!]**

"Of course."

Slender arms picked up Izuku's battered frame, and the three of them departed from the Mirror World, leaving a corrupted Caster behind to hang out alone in the smelly junkyard.

Needless to say, she wouldn't be happy to see them again.

* * *

For the second time that day, Izuku woke up with a groan.

It took Izuku half a second to remember where he had been and what he had been doing, and when he did so he sprang up, warily checking his surroundings.

To his surprise, he was in his room, on his bed, like nothing had happened. He quickly checked himself in order to assess the scope of his injuries, but to his surprise, not a mark remained on his skin, a far cry from the condition he had been in when the battle with Saber had concluded. However, he still felt pretty exhausted.

One important question couldn't be ignored, though?

Had he succeeded?

**[You're awake! That was pretty fast!]**

"Oh, Emerald-san! Did we...?" asked Izuku, checking the card-holder, which was placed on his bedside. To his surprise, not only were the Saber and Shielder Cards present in the holder, but there was _another_ card lying next to it on the window-sill. This one looked a lot cleaner than the other one, the only traces of the blackening he had seen on the Saber Card being present only faintly at the edges.

But still, where had the third card come from?

**[Yep! We sealed away this Saber! I think we did fairly well for our first time, though I'll be honest with you; this Saber was pretty weak. However, you did good to be able to stand against a Heroic Spirit and come out victorious, even if you nearly collapsed afterwards.]**

"Oh... wow." said Izuku quietly, taking the Saber Card out and watching it glint in the evening light.

That was a _weak_ Heroic Spirit? Truly, these beings were on a whole new level compared to someone of his caliber. They could easily contend with even seasoned Pro Heroes if that were the case!

Now, more than ever, Izuku realized just how dangerous his path was going to be. He understood Emerald's unspoken message; it was only going to get harder from this point onwards. Each Heroic Spirit, from what Izuku had learned from Emerald, would be able to absorb more and more corrupted energy from the Mirror World as the days went by, bringing them back to their full strength. Meaning that several dangerous battles were in his future.

Izuku clenched his fist, deep in thought.

But wasn't that what it meant to be a Hero? To fight against unspeakable odds with a smile? To do whatever it takes to save the day?

"Emerald-san, we have to train more." said Izuku, looking at the floating Kaleidostick. "I went into this fight without knowing the capabilities of both my opponent and myself. That isn't the method someone like me can fight and hope to win with. It's true that I won't be able to know my opponent's abilities without meeting them in battle, but I _have_ to know what I can do so I can come up with new strategies and maneuvers. I went in blind today, and almost lost because of it. I... can't allow that to happen again."

**[Well said, as usual! You're right though, and for that, I apologize. It's my fault that we went in so unprepared. I thought that since the Card had manifested so early, that it was an incredibly weak Class that we could easily defeat. I made the mistake of expecting reality to come with Tutorial Bosses. It won't happen again, Master.]**

"I-it's no problem at all!" said Izuku, flustered by the apology. "A-and please don't call me Master! I-izuku is fine!"

**[Heh. You're honestly **_**too**_ **easy. If you'd gotten **_**Ruby**_ **as your Kaleidostick, you would probably have gotten a heart attack due to the embarrassment she would cause you.]**

Izuku didn't know how Ruby acted, but if she was anywhere near the level of his Aunt Mitsuki, then he really would have died out of embarrassment.

He was truly thankful for the small mercies that Fate seemed to give him.

Then again, Fate had thrown him into this mess face-first to begin with, so he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Where did that Card come from?" asked Izuku, pointing to the Card by the windowsill.

**[**_**That**_ **is the reason we even survived. When you fainted after sealing Saber, we were attacked by a Caster who decided to shoot purple energy balls at us while we were down. Thankfully, Ruler was nearby and saved our hides. She carried you home and healed you using the last of her magical energy before returning to Card form. Before you ask, Ruler was able to resist the corruption because of her nature; Ruler is a Class reserved for those people who have no desires, so to speak, which is why there are very few of them. They tend to be famous saints and the like. That's why they are pretty resistant to corruption. This specific Ruler has a **_**ridiculous**_ **amount of Magical Resistance, especially to curses and negative magic, which is why she was virtually unaffected by the corruption, though she was weakened by a lack of magic power. Now you should probably seal the Card, just in case.]**

Izuku nodded, going over everything that Emerald had told him, silently grateful to whoever this Ruler was for saving him and Emerald. He grasped the Kaleidostick by the handle, and then pointed him at the Card, causing the same magic circle to appear and seal the card, causing it to gleam before it went into the holder, which to his surprise, floated over to him and rested in his lap.

Izuku looked at the clock; only a few minutes until his mom said she would come home.

He was about to put the card-holder in his drawer, when Emerald floated over to him, flaring his wings dramatically.

**[Hey, you want to see something cool?]**

"Sure."

**[Then take a Card and say 'summon', followed by its name.]**

Izuku took out the Ruler Class Card, and held it in his hands.

"Summon: Ruler!" he said.

Suddenly, there was a brilliant flash of light as the Card in his hands glowed before disappearing.

Before him knelt a young woman with blonde hair, tied into a single long braid that nearly matched her in length, and blue eyes that sparkled innocently, dressed in armor and carrying a rather long flag and a sword which was strapped to her side.

Were all Heroic Spirits beautiful teenage girls?

"Servant Ruler, Jeanne d'Arc." she said in perfect Japanese, much to his surprise, although she had a slight French accent. "I'm very glad to meet you, Master!"

She looked up, and to her surprise, her new Master was practically prostrated on the ground before her her, staring at her while vibrating with unbridled excitement, his green eyes gleaming with more innocent admiration than several generations of infants, and... clutching a notebook?

"_Ohmygoshyou'reJeanned'ArcliketheHolyMaidenofOrleansIamsuchahugefancanyoupleasesignthisforme_?!" he yelled, thrusting the notebook towards her.

"E-eh?!" replied Jeanne eloquently, feeling quite flustered by the admiration aimed at her and yet at the same time confused by what exactly it was he was trying to say.

At the same time, Izuku snapped out of his frenzy to realize what he had just done... and that he was practically inches away from what had to be the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life.

Releasing an 'eep' of embarrassment as his face turned red enough to match hers, he dropped the notebook and instead buried his face in his hands, apologizing over and over again.

Meanwhile, Emerald was laughing like a madman at the interaction between the two.

**[This is great! They're so~ awkward; and it's **_**amazing**_**!]**

* * *

A couple minutes later, after the initial embarrassment was dealt with and Izuku spent at least 30 seconds apologizing before profusely thanking her for saving them, causing her blush to intensify, Izuku and Jeanne were sitting next to each other on his bed, and Izuku was showing the older girl all the research he had done on her when working for the Foundation, explaining animatedly while Emerald was perched on his shoulder, trying to estimate how long it would take for Izuku to realize that he was once again fanboying over a beautiful female and freak out.

It had already been a few minutes, so probably a short amount of time before it happened. Emerald had to say that he was honestly surprised by how fast Izuku managed to establish a rapport with Jeanne. He knew that this Servant was one of the more friendly Heroic Spirits, but even then, it was impressive how Izuku had managed to get her so familiar with him almost instantly.

Honestly, what his Master lacked in confidence and magical power he more than made up for with his unnatural charisma and intelligence.

Either that, or they _both_ were just so socially awkward when they weren't in life-or-death situations that they just instantly _clicked_, like the unspoken connection between birds of a feather.

"And then they found this ancient text about you near Domrémy talking about your time during the war!" said Izuku, flipping a page to show her the report he had made on that particular text.

Jeanne smiled as she heard the name, which brought back old memories, of more simple times, when she was just an ordinary peasant girl, unburdened by duty, living a simple but happy life. Alas, those times were fleeting, but had she not answered the call of her Lord, then she would still have been living that life. However, she regretted nothing and did not blame her Lord for her untimely execution. It was only proof that her given task had been completed. And if the information she had received on the modern day state of France was any indication, then her sacrifice hadn't been in vain.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, causing Izuku to panic as he realized her had no idea how to explain Jeanne's presence to his mother, who would either faint from the shock of seeing Izuku next to a beautiful girl or magnify his embarrassment somehow.

To his surprise though, she only smiled in understanding before her form burst into motes of golden light, turning back into a Card, which went back to the holder on its own.

Emerald in turn just hid behind his All Might calendar.

"I'm home, dear!" she called, setting down something in the kitchen.

"Hi mom." said Izuku, joining her as she finished unpacking the groceries she had bought.

Mother and son shared a hug as she kissed him on the head and led him over to the couch before asking about his day.

The years had been kind to the Midoriya matriarch, as she still boasted the beauty of her youth, no doubt due to Izuku's constant insistence that she exercise in order to 'stop food from making her explode'. Honestly, his worried explanation was nearly enough incentive for her to do so, but it wasn't easy.

To this day, Inko Midoriya felt a deep sense of shame whenever she beheld her only child. Not aimed at him, but rather at herself. She blamed herself for having been unable to pass on a Quirk to Izuku, despite both her husband and herself having one. She knew Hisashi also blamed himself in his own way, which is why he worked so hard overseas in America to provide them with enough money to live comfortably. Both of them felt this way for the same reason; his dream of becoming a Hero.

It was common knowledge that you needed a Quirk, you needed _power_, in order to become a Hero. And to their sorrow, their bright and kind son, who had done nothing to deserve such a fate, had been diagnosed as Quirkless at the age of four. It was then that Hisashi had decided to remain overseas near-indefinitely, not out of any hatred for his Quirkless son, but rather the opposite; because he was _afraid_, afraid to face the son whose dreams were ruined before they could even begin, because his crappy genetics couldn't give him a Quirk.

She felt much the same way, the fact that she was unable to support her son's dream always eating away at her, which in turn caused her to stress eat, a habit that Izuku spent the better part of a _year_ getting her out of.

It was _tough_, tough to see her son, who had already become a town favorite adored by everyone who knew him (except for kids his age and some of the more bigoted adults) always have that hidden sorrow in his eyes as his glaring weakness continued to get in the way of his dream.

It always made her sad. Why was it that the best of people always had to undergo the most hardship?

Thankfully, Izuku had managed to make two good friends in Mirio and Tamaki, the two boys being much-needed pillars of support for her child. Honestly, if they weren't around, Izuku might have gotten to the point where he couldn't hold a conversation with anyone unless it was about Heroes.

To be honest, both boys seemed to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, with her little boy being the sort of balance between the two. They were good for each other; that was what her and the parents of the other two children decided.

Izuku was a little more sure of himself, Mirio wasn't flashing everyone due to excitement, and Tamaki was actually able to maintain eye contact with people for _more_ than a split second.

It was a deep friendship that they all benefitted from.

Not like... _Katsuki_, and that ridiculous farce her son used to call friendship. There was nothing _friendly_ about _that_ child.

Of course, her and Mitsuki were good friends and always would be, but Inko doubted she could ever forgive the blonde-haired boy for the _years_ of torment he had put her darling through. The other parents and the people around Mustafu had told her of course, because Izuku would never think of telling her due to his irrational fear that he was only a burden upon others, something that was no doubt inspired by the years of bullying he had gone through before making his first friends.

And even then, all of those friends were older people, even Mirio and Tamaki, so that left Izuku alone to face the wrath and prejudice of those little _monsters_ he called classmates, and those despicable teachers who actually _encouraged_ such behavior.

It definitely left a mark on the young boy, and it made Inko _seethe_ just thinking about it. She would have given Katsuki and his cronies a piece of her mind a long time ago, but she was _more_ than aware of the fact that it wouldn't do any good. Before she had met Mitsuki in her early years, she had been bullied as well, and bringing parents into it only seemed to make things worse, especially when the environment was as _toxic_ as the institutions that Izuku had studied in. Katsuki would never learn even if she scolded him because literally _everyone_ outside the Bakugo household would worship the ground he walked on due to his Quirk and praise _everything_ he did. She was pretty sure Katsuki didn't actually _realize_ fully that what he was doing was wrong; he had been supported by all those rotten adults in charge of nurturing the generation's children, who said _nothing_ and sung his praises whenever he bullied others, especially Izuku. So in his eyes, he was merely doing the right thing and putting the powerless boy in his 'place', so to speak. Talking to Mitsuki about it would only sour the relationship she had with her child without actually changing anything, which is why Inko never spoke of it even though they always were in contact.

The unfairness and the prejudices of society more than often made her knees feel weak. Watching, day after day, as her soon came home with tell-tale burn marks and a sad expression that he couldn't quite hide, was an agony unlike anything she had ever felt before.

The whole world was _full_ of people like Katsuki, people who would judge Izuku merely for being Quirkless, ignoring any of his merits.

After all, there was a _reason_ that Quirkless people usually didn't survive to adulthood unless they were members of the older generations.

She couldn't fight them all, she couldn't _change_ them all, because simple words had _never_ been enough to change the deeply-rooted stigmas of society.

All she could do was support her son and try to make him as happy as she could.

As such, she was happy when Izuku told her about his day, dropping off the other two boys for their exam before spending the day working for the Foundation, which was something she approved of because the work environment there was far more friendly than most other places.

When he finished, he fidgeted nervously, and Inko immediately knew that there was something he wasn't telling her. To her surprise though, instead of the nervous expression he usually wore, he actually had a shy smile on his face, which made her realize that whatever he had been hiding was actually something _good_ and unrelated to the years of torment and downright _abuse_ he had been through.

"What is it, Izuku?" she asked gently, trying not to spook him.

"W-well it's just that... _ImetProfessorWashiandhetoldmethatI'mnowaDoctorinQuirkAnalysiswithadegreefromIslandUniversityandDavidShieldwantedtomeetwithusandwegotinvitedtoIExpothisyearandPrincipalNezuwantsmetocometommorowforajobinterviewtoteachQuirkAnalysisClassesandI'msoexcited!_ he said, almost _vibrating_ in excitement.

"Izuku, dear?"

"Yes, mom?"

"How did you get all that out without taking a breath?"

"Breathing exercises."

"...That checks out." she admitted, nodding thoughtfully. "But can you repeat what you were trying to say, a _little_ slower? I couldn't quite make out what you were trying to say."

"I guess it'll be easier to show you." he said, going back into his room and bringin out a sheet of paper.

Inko took it curiously, and after reading a few lines, her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and she clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

"Izu, is this..." she said, tears of pride beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Yeah, mom." he said, smiling, with matching tears in his own eyes. "I... I did it. Something _useful_."

Inko couldn't take it anymore, and hugged her only son, as the two Midoriya's bawled their eyes out, soaking the floors and the sofa.

***sniff* **"I'm so proud of you, honey." said Inko, rubbing his head. "And I always will be. This may not be what you wanted, but it's _amazing_ nonetheless."

"T-thanks mom." said Izuku, sinking further into her embrace.

"I also wanted you to know, Izuku, that even if you don't have a Quirk, you can do _anything_ you want to do, no matter what it is. Not just a Hero; you can do _whatever_ you want to do. I believe in you, sweetie, and I always have. I'm so sorry for not being able to say these words before, when you needed them the most."

"T-t-thank you." said Izuku, clutching onto her sweater as he sobbed harder. "A-and you don't have to be sorry; you and dad supported me every step of the way, even if you never said it. I could _never_ hate you for that."

"I know, dear. I _know_. And that makes me _even prouder_ to call myself your mother."

* * *

After wiping their tears, mother and son sat down at the dining table to some fresh home-made Katsudon, Izuku's favorite dish.

While she wanted to call over his friends to celebrate the good news, Izuku denied it saying that they were probably exhausted from the U.A. Entrance Exam earlier that day.

Which brought Inko to the next shock of they day.

Her son had been invited by Principal Nezu to _teach_ at U.A., at the age of _thirteen_.

She couldn't even _begin_ to describe how proud she was of him, being able to not only get a doctorate from one of the most prestigious institutions in the world but a job offer from one of the most prestigious High Schools in the world at such a young age, against incredible odds and the hand that life had dealt him.

To have others recognize her son's talents was a bliss she had feared she would never get to experience, and was more than thankful to be proven wrong.

"Will you go tomorrow?" she asked curiously, after swallowing a mouthful of pork.

The reason she was asking had to do with the fact that as amazing as the offer was, Izuku's dream was to be a Hero, and unfortunately this wouldn't help him get closer to that dream. It was saddening, but she wanted what Izuku felt was best for him, not what society found the most prestigious. It was with great pride that she could say that such things were a non-factor in her son's thought process.

Izuku put down his chopsticks, his face somewhat serious. He seemed to be rubbing his chest a lot, but maybe that was because he pulled a muscle or something during his daily workout. Honestly, it wouldn't hurt to be more careful, would it?

"I think I will." he said, clasping his hands. "I-I mean, Principal Nezu invited me, and it would be rude not to show up, even if I don't want the position. I want to be a hero, not a Pro Hero, but someone who helps others. Becoming a Pro was supposed to be a step in that direction, but... I know that it's next to impossible to become a Pro Hero without a Quirk, no matter how much you train. I feel like by instead teaching the next generation of Heroes and making them better at what they do, I can indirectly help more people than I could as a Pro. I think... that's a more realistic way to achieve my dream."

Izuku looked up from his musing when Inko leaned over the table and cupped his cheeks. "No matter what you do, Izuku, I know you'll do the right thing. Whether you become a Pro Hero or a teacher, it doesn't matter. I know in my heart that you'll be an amazing hero one day, even if you don't have a costume and a license."

Izuku smiled, comforted by her warmth.

"I know, mom."

Both were unaware of Emerald spying on their conversation from behind the television.

_**[...Truer words have never been said. I'll admit, Master, even if we haven't been together for long, I'm impressed. I've learned a lot about you, both from watching the way you interact with others and your battle against Saber. You might be weak in magic and even body, but your mind, heart and will are strong. And like many heroes before you, perhaps that is all that is necessary to achieve your dream. I can't believe I'm actually saying this about someone from the modern age, but I think, that even **__**without**_ _**me and the Cards, that you, Izuku Midoriya, could have reached the Throne of Heroes by his own merit.]**_

...

...

...

_**[Oh crap! I forgot to tell him he could use the Class Cards in battle by Including them! And how to use the card-holder!]**_

...

...

...

_**[I **__**really**_ _**need a pen and paper to write this stuff down before I get him killed.]**_

* * *

**And that's a wrap, ladies and gentlemen! The first Card has been vanquished, and a wild saint has appeared! I don't know why, but something about Izuku and Jeanne just feels _right_. Maybe it's just me?**

**I know that this may not have seemd like much, but this is only the first battle. Many more are to come, and keep in mind that this particular Saber isn't among the upper echelons, and she was severely weakened.**

**My keyboard isn't working right, so I'll keep things short. Tell me if there's anything or anyone you guys want to see specifically.. **

**I'll talk more in the next chapter if I get this stupid thing to work properly again.**

**Please keep up the support, and have a happy New Year!**

**Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! its me, the Phoenix, back with a new chapter of one of my most popular stories!**

**I had this chapter half done and lying around in my Evernote, so I finished it and pumped it out, just so I could get one ladt chapter in before I have to start preparing for my exams.**

**After that, I'll update Hero Complex again after making a few edits to it, and I actually have an idea for a sort of counter-story for it, which I'll talk about at a later time.**

**Anyways, I don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the Reviews.**

**Firstly, some of you guys seem to be under the impression that there are only seven Class Cards. **

**There are _way_ more than that, so expect to see your favorite Servants soon!**

**On another note, I dont think I'll make Izuku a vigilante, because All Might wouldn't approve. The path I'm taking should be clear in this chapter, though.**

**Izuku can finish his regular schooling with ease, to those who wondered what would happen if he became a teacher.**

**Secondly, Installing female Class Cards will not turn Izuku into a girl. Just putting that out there. Shielder is Galahad, mainly because I don't want to make my own Servants and they didn't give nearly enough information about Ajax or the other candidates. For those of you who missed it, Shielder was the only Card still remaining in the Deck in the first chapter.**

**Frozen Flame, I'd also like to apologize for overreacting a bit. As you can see, the deal with Chapter one was only to set the stage. Nothing else really has a connection with Brilliant Lights anymore. I know that I keep going on about how society was horrible to Izuku, but that's actually a serious issue in My Hero Academia, so I can't help but mention it because it shaped him. It's elaborated as a background thing in almost every story in the fandom, which is why it probably seems annoying. I do hope to impress in future chapters, however!**

**As for Angron, I'm pretty sure KillaBee and the others answered your Review for me. Izuku ain't a Gary Stu just because he's smart. In canon, his personality actually holds back his intelligence. If you've watched his fight against Overhaul, you should know that I'm not exaggerating to much. And Izuku is smarter than in canon due to actually honing his skills instead of twiddling his thumbs.**

**Anyways, I'd like to thank you guys for your praise, and I'm always open to new Servant suggestions. And on that note, since so many people want it, this will be a multiple pairing fic, but I'm thinking of restricting it to Heroic Spirits only.**

**That's all for today, so let's get on with the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Job Interview**

* * *

Izuku studied himself in the mirror.

His normally untamable green hair was... _slightly_ more tamed than usual, and he wore an immaculate black suit with a dark green tie the color of fresh foliage.

A watch adorned his left wrist, and with careful use of deodorant he smelled pristine.

He couldn't get himself ready any more than this.

**[Looking sharp, Master!]**

Emerald floated around, checking Izuku out from all angles. Floating round to face him, the Kaleidostick flinched and suddenly drew closer, radiating an almost suspicious aura.

**[Hey... is this a clip-on tie?]**

"Yes?" said Izuku, confused. Why would that matter, exactly?

**[Remove it. Now.]**

"W-why? I don't think-"

**[Ì͞ ̼̬̗͖ͩͤ̑ͮ͋̔̚S͆͑̔͏̱̟̙̘A͈ͩͮͫ̈́̚Ỉ̲̣̳̠̤̱̝ͬ̓̓ͭD̫̮̪̽̊̆̕ ̵̺͍̳̤ͪ̾͑̂̚N̢̘̣̘̜̫̩̬̽̌O,̴̐ ̫̩͖͔̱͙͈͑IZUKU.̵͔̹̣ͤ.̵͔̹̣ͤ!]**

"Okay! Okay!" yelped Izuku, nearly ripping off the offending article and throwing it across the room in fear, trembling before the malevolent aura radiating off of Emerald, who quickly blasted the tie with a green blast of magic, turning it to ash.

The wand floated closer to him, it's beady emerald 'eyes' meeting his.

**[It's unprofessional to wear a clip-on tie to something like this. It's stuff like this that your employers tend to notice, you know? It's not about being capable; you also have to make sure hat you dress right for every occasion. To put it in your Hero weeb terms, you have to wear the right 'costume' for every occasion. Got it?]**

"O-of course!" said Izuku, wiping away the bead of sweat on his forehead while storing away this information for later. Emerald had a point and Izuku was thankful that he had pointed it out to him before he had left for U.A. If that was really as important as Emerald made it out to be, than it was a good thing he hadn't accidentally screwed things up. The embarrassment would be legendary if he lost the opportunity to go teach at U.A. just because he wore a clip-on tie.

Taking an emerald tie and spending five minutes looking up how to tie it properly online, Izuku was all ready to go, with the Kaleidstick's Seal of Approval.

He hadn't heard a peep out of Jeanne, Okita, and whoever Shielder was, but that was probably because he still didn't know much about the Deck of Heroes and the Class Cards, which he resolved to fix as soon as he got back.

He was going to risk his life many times against superior foes, just like with Okita, which meant he needed as much information as possible to maximize his chances of victory to make up for his lack of sustainable power.

On that note, he also needed to know what exactly he could do with Emerald, but that could also wait until he got back. Right now, his focus was on his upcoming job interview at U.A.

He checked his watch.

3:23 P.M.

He had come home early from school that day just for this, and Kaachan's usual taunts and jeers almost completely flew over his head, as he was still on Cloud Nine from the opportunity he had been given.

And after risking his life to seal Okita, suffering some pretty nasty wounds in the process, none of the poison his classmates and peers spat at him metaphorically had much effect on him, as he subconsciously decided that with all the stuff on his mind, it just wasn't that important.

It pissed them off, and Izuku knew that the only reason he had avoided a confrontation after school ended was because he had left early, which was probably something else they would try to interrogate him about.

Not that he would tell them anything. He wasn't really afraid of them, per se, but rather ashamed at his own powerlessness and the fact that Kaachan, his first friend, would be so ready and willing to try and put him down in any way possible. He never fought back because Izuku had learned the hard way that society was swayed towards those with power, with a few exceptions. Any time he would complain about the bullying was met with outright complacency and ignorance, and one time he was actually told to just _let it happen_.

Getting physical with them would not only be a losing battle considering his bullies had both numbers and Quirks on their side, but any hits he did land would be spun against him and he would be treated as the instigator, not the victim.

How people even _believed_ that a Quirkless guy known for being a nervous, stuttering mess would assault _multiple_ Quirked people was beyond him. Or was it just the prejudice that his kind faced from society?

The barbarity of it all caused him to grimace, his fist tightening.

**[You thinking about that a** Bakugo again? Just forget him. That idiot isn't worth the time of someone like yourself. There are people out there who are willing to acknowledge your talents. Focus on them, not some traitorous explosive bastard who thinks he's going to be a great Hero by picking on people he **_**thinks**_ **are weaker than him.]**

Profanity aside, Emerald had a point, and Izuku allowed his hand to loosen.

He took a deep breath.

That was right. Professor Washi, Principal Nezu, Mirio, Tamaki; there were people out there who were willing to look past his condition and see him for who he was and what he could achieve, and that was enough for him. He shouldn't waste his time pining over something that simply _couldn't_ be fixed.

He was moving up in the world, getting closer to his dream. If his meeting with Nezu ended positively, he wouldn't need ever care about these people again, and even if some of them got into U.A., they wouldn't be allowed to torment him the same way they had been since he was 4.

Instead of bemoaning his treatment, he should work his hardest to find some way to change it.

It was with this in mind that Izuku bade farewell to Emerald, who wished him the best of luck, and walked into the living room. He couldn't bring the Kaleidostick or the Deck of Heroes to his job interview, so he decided to just leave them at home, hiding in plain sight.

He ran into his mother, just before he was about to leave.

She smiled at him with tears of pride in his eyes, causing him to blush, before they hugged each other.

She kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm so proud of you, honey." she said, placing a hand on his cheek and smiling at him. "Even though I couldn't give you a Quirk, you were still able to become a great person, and for that I will always be proud to call myself your mother. But this is just the beginning. You're destined for so much more. So go out there and grab the world, Izuku."

Izuku stood for a moment, stunned, before he responded with his own tears and hugged his mother back, placing his briefcase on the ground.

* * *

U.A. High School was every bit as amazing as Izuku had expected.

The beautiful architecture, the aura of homeliness, the spotless walls and floors; it was like a high school straight out of a shonen anime, as funny as that sounded. He could truly believe that this was the place that had churned out amazing Heroes such as Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and All Might.

He felt happy knowing that Mirio and Tamaki would live out their dream of studying here. He knew that the two boys were more than good enough to pass the test, which according to them was just a written exam and a practical exam where they fought robots for some reason.

He had walked up to the gate before being granted access thanks to the Guest Pass he had gotten from Professor Washi on Principal Nezu's behalf.

Of course, since the school year hadn't started yet, the place was practically deserted, which Izuku found was more to his liking. As much as he wanted to see U.A.'s aura when the students were in attendance, he really didn't want to attract too much attention. Sure, it would be impossible if he ended up teaching here, but he liked being anonymous as much as possible because even with all the people he had become acquainted with over the year due to his shenanigans around Mustafu, Izuku still had a slight fear of meeting new people, for _obvious_ reasons.

Of course, as soon as he had walked through the gate, he had been met by a scruffy-looking man with long, black hair and an expression on his face that suggested he hadn't slept since the day he was born.

"You must be Midoriya." he said, yawning into his hand, his mouth obscured by the gray scarf-like object that was wrapped around his neck. "The principal is expecting you. Right this way."

Of course, Izuku had recognized the man instantly. How could he not, when he had spent so many hours painstakingly mapping out his own routes and patrols, which was pretty hard since he was an Underground Hero that stayed out of the spotlight.

He was being led by none other than the Erasure Hero: Eraserhead.

Izuku had to forcibly restrain himself to prevent any of his fanboyish squeals from escaping him. Not only would it be incredibly unprofessional and kind of creepy, but from what little of the Erasure Hero's interactions he had borne witness to, the man was a strict no-nonsense type of guy with a hidden mean streak.

Irritating this man would not do any favors for his peace of mind and his future.

Instead, he allowed himself to be led through U.A.'s sprawling corridors, making sure to keep up with the black-haired Hero's strides instead of gawking at what was probably the greatest institution of Hero Studies to exist since the dawn of the first Quirk.

Finally, after about a minute of walking, they stood before what was obviously the principal's office.

"Principal Nezu is waiting for you inside. Good luck. I hope you survive the encounter." he said, beginning to walk away, his job done.

Izuku gulped at that statement, but made sure to thank the man anyway.

"Thank you, Eraserhead, Sir!" he called, just as the man rounded the corner.

He turned back towards the door, unaware of the man stiffening momentarily in surprise, before continuing on his way, with a barely perceptible smirk on his face, before he sighed. He didn't know why Nezu wanted to see that kid, but he was obviously something special if the chimera had decided to meet him personally. He shuddered at that. Nobody who Nezu had taken a personal interest in had ever turned out the same. Burying himself deeper into his Capture Weapon, he slouched towards the Teacher's Lounge.

For some reason, Shota Aizawa _knew_ that the kid was going to be a Problem Child that he would inevitably end up involved with. He only had that feeling once before, when he had met Hizashi and Oboro upon starting U.A.

He drooped further, reaching for the door to the Teacher's Lounge.

Whatever. If he was going to be inevitably involved in more crazy stuff in the future, then he might as well make the most of whatever semblance of peace he had at the moment.

His beloved sleeping bag was hanging over his chair, and he moved over to it, reaching out to get back to nirvana when-

"HEEEEY Shota!"

Shota Aizawa groaned in despair.

Meanwhile, Izuku stood in front of the door, controlling his breathing and trying to tone down how nervous he was.

He was about to meet not only an esteemed Pro Hero and the Principal of U.A., but an idol of his second only to All Might and someone who could possibly become his future employer.

Finally working up the nerve to move forward towards his dreams, Izuku rapped on the door twice.

"Come in!" said a rather high pitched voice.

Izuku opened the door, and the first thing his attention fell on was the subject of his nervousness.

Nezu was a short creature who appeared to be a possible combination of several different animals, including a dog, a mouse and a bear, which in Izuku's opinion, would make him a chimera. He had the head of a mouse with circular black eyes, a large scar over the right one, relatively square-shaped ears with pale pink insides slanting outwards from the top of his head, and an elongated muzzle with a small round nose. His fur was white and he had large, dog-like paws with pink pads and a thin tail like that of a cat. Honestly, chimera was the only possible word that could be used to describe him.

He sported a white dress shirt, with a dark red tie around his neck (that wasn't a clip-on), a black double-breasted waistcoat and matching dress pants. He wore orange lace-up sneakers with incredibly thick soles which seemed quite large on him, not unlike he red ones he himself usually wore.

While most people may not have taken him seriously at first glance, Izuku knew of the the intelligence that lay behind those beady, black eyes, the result of the ability that made him anthropomorphic in the first place. His Quirk, High Specs.

One of the most intelligent beings in the whole world now sat patiently at his desk, two cups of tea placed before him, with a plate of biscuits set to the side of them.

When his eyes fixed on Izuku's nervous form, he beamed amicably, his eyes gleaming.

"Welcome, Midoriya-san! Please, take a seat!" he said, gesturing with a paw to the seat across from him.

"Thank you, Nezu, Sir!" said Izuku before politely pulling back his chair and taking a seat.

"That's me!" he said cheerfully, raising a paw into the air. "The one who could be a mouse or a dog or even a bear, though the only important thing is-"

"Your the principal~!" completed Izuku, before freezing at what he had involuntarily done.

There was silence in the room.

And then Nezu broke out into uproarious squeaks of laughter, nearly vibrating in his seat at what the boy before him had done, which, safe to say, was a new one for the principal.

"Oh! That's the first time anyone's actually done that!" he managed between squeaks. "Minato was right! You really are a riot, Midoriya-san!"

Izuku flushed, his face burning in embarrassment. He had screwed up his plan literally two seconds into the meeting, which did not seem to bode well for his future.

Seemingly unaware of Izuku's inner turmoil, the principal wiped his eyes before letting out one last chuckle.

"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time, so thank you for that! Tea and biscuits, Midoriya-san?"

"T-thank you, Sir." said Izuku, take the offered cup gently with both hands.

Setting it down before him, he reached down into one of the pockets of his briefcase before taking out a small carton of American Swiss Cheese Spread and setting it on the table next to the biscuits.

Nezu's eyes widened in surprise, before his grin grew even larger and the animal gleefully accepted the offering, swiftly opening the carton and giving it a sniff before spreading it over a biscuit and eating it in one bite.

"Ah~." said Nezu, appreciating the taste. "I must admit, you're surprising me more and more Midoriya-san, and we haven't even begun to talk business yet! But I must ask, how did you know exactly what brand I normally favor?"

Izuku's blush of embarrassment never faded, but he managed to answer the question without stuttering.

"I like to record everything I know about Pro Heroes, Sir, including likes and dislikes. I saw you buy a carton at the supermarket one time a few years ago, and I found out that you happen to enjoy it a lot and buy it every 3rd Tuesday."

"Well, that's certainly impressive!" said Nezu, taking a sip of his tea. "It's not quite often that people figure out my own preferences and habits. I heard from Minato that you conduct Quirk Analysis reports on various Heroes and Villains as a hobby, and that they were good enough to get you a near instantaneous Doctorate from I-Island University, which is no ordinary feat. Tell me, what exactly do you have on _me_, Midoriya-san?"

Izuku swallowed a sip of his own tea for a moment, before setting the cup down and reciting one of the first Quirk Analysis reports he had made since he made that promise to himself all those years ago.

"Principal Nezu, the esteemed leader of U.A. High School." began Izuku, slipping into nerd mode, completely losing focus on the situation he was in.

"Quirk: High Specs. Although you are an animal, a mouse of the species _Mus musculus _to be exact, you have an intelligence that far exceeds even that of a human, one of the only people even coming _close_ being All Might's former sidekick, Sir Nighteye. This allows you to not only have a perfect memory, but also allows you to execute complex calculations at an incredible rate, allowing you to completely plan out your course of action within a few seconds. You like brushing and cheese, and happen to be a casual smoker, though you use E-cigarettes to avoid damaging your lungs. You dislike Quirk Experimentation and Discrimination, due to your own past as a subject of the Izanagi Foundation, who were running experiments on animals, trying to splice different DNA sequences from other species including humans in order to awaken a Quirk gene in a non-human subject. It worked, although only for you, causing the project to lose funding and leading to its termination. As you had developed true sentience, the Izanagi Foundation gave you over to the government, who at your own behest allowed you to become a Pro Hero. You made your debut during the bombing of Saitama Prefecture 3 decades ago, although you remained an Underground Hero due to your nature, preferring to be a strategist rather than a fighter, though you were always seen on the front lines. After breaking the old record for the number of cases you solved, in the aftermath of the Second Tokyo Incident, you were asked to become the Principal of U.A. High, which you accepted. Even now your intelligence and experience is used to solve many cases in and around Mustafu. Your strengths are your intelligence and your enhanced senses, while your weaknesses are your physical attributes and susceptibility to certain toxins, such as Cholecalciferol and Ergocalciferol, which interfere with your calcium homeostasis negatively, since your physiology corresponds far more to a rodent than a human. To improve your Quirk, you should improve your base intelligence, either by using a specialized diet or mental exercises. Due to being a Mutation-Type Quirk in classification, along with your unique appearance and the name you gave it, I believe your Quirk isn't actually high intelligence, but rather a sort of adaptational ability which gave you the advantageous traits of many different organisms, such as the paws of a dog, the tail of a cat, the lifespan of a turtle, the stature of a small bear, the brain of a dolphin, and the ability of self-consciousness possessed by humans, to show a few examples. If this is the case, then improving your Quirk may be impossible if the adaptations you received were set as soon as you developed your Quirk, so training the different attributes you have would be a sure-fire way to increase your combat capabilities. Your Blood Type is A and you stand at a height of 85 centimeters. Your fur is kept soft and pristine through liberal applications of keratin, allowing it to reach a level of smoothness that is unreachable by humans."

Izuku let out a small breath as he finally finished, having spoken for several minutes.

He looked up to meet the principal's eyes, and to his surprise, Nezu had actually dropped his teacup sometime during Izuku's monologue, his beady black eyes boring into Izuku's soul, analyzing him the same way he analyzed Quirks, making the green-haired teen feel increasingly more self-conscious.

Slowly, the principal began to clap, a smaller but more impressed grin on his face, though the excitement radiating off of him was almost _palpable_.

"Congratulations, Midoriya-san! You are the _first_ person to ever figure out the true nature of my Quirk. There is a reason I called it High Specs, something that you picked up on quite brilliantly. It is exactly as you said, a sort of chimeric ability that granted me traits from several different species. I'm impressed, more so than you can imagine. Though I must ask, how did you find out all that information about me?"

Izuku blushed, both from the honest praise and from the embarrassment he felt. Although, there was a warm tinge of happiness mixed into it all.

"Sir, you and All Might have been my idols ever since I was young. I dug up old records that were publicly available, and tracked down a former scientist of the Izanagi Foundation, who told me about your past. Tracking down the different cases you took part in was easier, because like I said, you always remain on the front lines, which made you easily noticeable, even if people never really paid attention to you in favor of other, more flashier Heroes. The analysis on your Quirk and habits was something I made from my observations."

"Your idol, you say?" said Nezu, intrigued, causing Izuku to blush harder, cursing himself for letting that bit slip. "All Might I can imagine, but why me? Most people don't even know that I was a Pro Hero. In fact, most people don't know who the principal of U.A. truly is, thinking that I'm some kind of decoy meant to throw off people."

Izuku suddenly looked down, remembering exactly why he admired the rat-bear-dog so much.

"Sir, you were only a mouse, but you proved that even someone like you can be a Pro Hero, someone who wasn't even human and had a Quirk that wasn't really applicable in live combat except for strategizing. You run public support campaigns to end prejudice against people with so-called 'Villain Quirks' and Quirkless people all the time, Sir! In fact, it was you who opened the gates of U.A. to the Quirkless, making U.A. the first Hero Studies Institution in the World to accept Quirkless applicants for the Hero Course. I admire you a lot, Sir, because your story and your actions made me realize that there was hope even for someone like me to be a Hero."

A single tear fell, unbidden, onto the table before him, causing him to blink. His genetics were beginning to get the best of him.

A soft paw suddenly placed itself over his hand, causing him to look up into the eyes of Nezu, who honestly looked touched, though there was a gleam in his eye.

"Midoriya-san, I have made my decision." said the principal, causing Izuku to tense up. Had he blown it? He honestly couldn't tell.

"Should you choose to accept, I am happy to welcome you to U.A. as the latest member of our faculty. Your ability to analyze Quirks is every bit as impressive as I've been told it was, and with your credentials you are more than qualified to teach the new Quirk Studies Course I've implemented for the students of the Hero Course. However, before you make your decision, there is something I want to ask you."

"What is that, Sir?" asked Izuku, his overwhelming happiness at being accepted as a teacher being stymied at the statement.

"Tell me, do you still want to become a Hero? Or do you want to become a teacher?"

Izuku stilled, though he clenched his fists momentarily on his lap, tensing up at the question.

After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Sir, as much as I want to become a Pro Hero, I know that it's a dream that would be nearly impossible to make reality, because I don't have a Quirk. My dream is to become a Hero that can save people and bring them hope with a smile on my face, just like All Might, but at the same time I know that it isn't feasible. Because people won't feel safe if someone _Quirkless_ tries to save them. I don't want a license, I just want to help people and make them smile. That's why I want to become a teacher, instead. Because if I can save a life indirectly by helping the next generation of Heroes become even greater than the last, then that's good enough for me. I have a higher chance of achieving my dream this way."

And that was ultimately why he had come to this meeting, even though he had planned to become a Pro Hero alongside Mirio and Tamaki.

Had this opportunity not arisen, he would have still attempted to get into the Hero Course, and found some way to make it so that he could be a great Hero alongside his friends. It would have been extremely difficult, but he would have found a path of his own, somehow.

But now that it had, Izuku knew that the smarter, more logical choice would be to take on the role of a teacher, as his chances of actually helping people were much higher that way.

It was a sad, unfortunate truth, but Izuku wasn't aiming to become a Pro Hero to beat up Villains and gain publicity and cash.

He wanted to help people, plain and simple. And he would choose the path that let him save more people.

Nezu's grin stretched wider.

"Your dream and your conviction are nothing short of admirable, Midoriya-san. And yet, you still show the ability to use logical reasoning when deciding what path to take. But I disagree completely. I think you are selling yourself short. You have potential, Midoriya-san, and I cannot leave that untapped. Should you choose to accept, you will not only become a teacher at U.A., but I will also take you under my wing and mold you into a Pro Hero. I don't know if many people have told you this, Midoriya-san, but I'll say it anyway; with your power and your conviction, you _can_ become a Hero, Quirk or not."

He stretched a paw out to Izuku, who was trembling, his eyes watering with unshed tears.

"So tell me, Midoriya-san. Do you accept?"

Izuku knew what he had to do. All of his instincts were screaming at him.

Slowly, with trembling hands, Izuku Midoriya reached out and grabbed what could accurately be symbolized as the road to his future.

* * *

While his Master was away, Emerald was making plans of his own for his Master's future.

As it was, despite the _stunning_ compatibility he had with his Master, Izuku Midoriya, the fact of the matter was that with his current level of power, they wouldn't make it very far. They had nearly died and had completely exhausted themselves against a Saber who was for all intents and purposes, _trash_, in terms of Servant Paramaters and Skills, and one who had an obvious weakness that could be taken advantage of.

There was no doubt in Emerald's mind that the barely functional Saber Okita they encountered would probably be the _weakest_ Servant they would ever meet.

No offense to her.

That wouldn't fly, considering the disastrous consequences of failure. In order to keep himself and his Master alive through all of this, the Kaleidostick had to come up with a game plan.

He had no doubt that his Master could draw out the powers he could grant, but the fact of the matter was the lack of Magic Circuits his Master possessed, which wasn't his fault considering magic was basically dead in this world.

That, and he couldn't draw out the full potential of the Mana Plane as well.

There was no way for him to build Magic Circuits or increase their output somehow according to his knowledge. Maybe a strong Caster Servant would have some way of fixing this issue, but they didn't have one, and they needed a solution until they did.

He could protect his Master from Mana Exhaustion and the more negative effects of magic overuse, but that was all.

As for the Class Cards, those were probably the only method of attack they had that could suitably damage Heroic Spirits due to the abeforementioned lack of sustainable power. Right now they had three; Saber Okita Souji, Ruler Jeanne d'Arc, and Shielder Galahad. Of course, he also had the Deck of Heroes itself, which was a unique Noble Phantasm, but it was still synchronizing to him and would take a couple of days to become fully operational.

Izuku's body couldn't handle the strain of Installing a Class Card as it was, mainly due to the same magical limitations he had, so Including was the only way to go. And to be honest, that was no better than just summoning up a weapon because they had nowhere _near_ enough power to unleash a Noble Phantasm.

The worst part was that Izuku couldn't summon the Servants for long either, and they definitely couldn't fight, due to both his lack of power and the complete lack of usable Mana in the environment. The Magical Leylines around the world had no doubt completely dried up and were barely identifiable.

They couldn't set up a proper base either, for the same reasons.

The sentient Mystic Code sighed. It was just his luck.

The one time he had a chance to shine, the world decided to set itself to Hardcore Mode.

No matter, he would show his stupid Creator. Even with meager resources, the two of them would seal back the Cards. That was a promise.

The first course of action was obviously to acquire a Caster Class Servant. Casters were fairly weak as far as their physical Parameters went, and although he couldn't sustain it for long, Emerald's Magecraft Barrier could tank even Magecraft from the Age of Gods. If they struck quickly, without giving the Caster enough time to gather Mana from the Mirror World, they could possibly take the Servant out, even with Izuku's lack of training.

They could do that once they found a Caster who could help them with the magic situation they were facing. He already had a bead on the Caster who had attacked them the day before, and whoever the Servant was, their magic had been very potent, indicating that the Heroic Spirit was definitely an expert. That was pretty good.

At least, if they managed to pull off a win.

Otherwise they would be incinerated without mercy.

Emerald flew around the room, humming to himself.

As much as he wanted to train Izuku more, they had to find Caster today itself, to minimize the amount of magical energy it could accumulate.

It was a risk, but one that needed to be taken.

Well, with his main objective having an admittedly shaky plan of action, Emerald decided to work on his side objectives.

Mainly, designing a better costume for Izuku's Kaleid Liner persona, and of course, getting his Master a girlfriend.

Or even a couple of girlfriends.

It should be noted that although his sisters had been raised on Magical Girl anime, he had been nurtured on Eroge and Harem Romcoms. While Ruby and Sapphire, especially the former, were more obsessed with turning their Masters into magical girls, Emerald was dedicated wholeheartedly to making his Master a Harem King.

Funnily enough, at that moment, nearly every Issei Hyoudou in the DxD universe cluster suddenly burst into tears of joy, knowing that their dream had been acknowledged.

Sort of.

Yeah, nothing associated with Zelretch had a chance of being _normal_.

In any sense of the word.

Growing a USB cable from his body, Emerald floated over to Izuku's laptop and got to work.

Information was power, after all, and there was probably a lot of _useful_ information he could gain from his Master's Browser History.

* * *

Nezu strolled casually towards the Teacher's Lounge, in a noticeably better mood than he had been all week.

Or even all year.

Of course, it had to do with the latest addition to U.A.'s faculty, Dr. Izuku Midoriya.

He had just sent off the green-haired boy after discussing the finer details of the job such as what the animal expected from him both as his employee and his apprentice, and of course, his rather hefty salary, which was probably among the highest in the country due to U.A.'s prestige.

Through it all, he had interacted with the boy further, and had definitely concluded that he wasn't making a mistake, beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Izuku Midoriya was a treasure trove of untapped potential, one that he honestly kicked himself for allowing to slip through the cracks.

He owed Minato a drink after this for introducing him to such an interesting individual.

He had been surprised when he had first heard of Izuku Midoriya, a Quirkless teenager who had volunteered to help Professor Washi and his crew. His long-time friend wasn't one to give out praise where it wasn't deserved, and he practically _gushed_ about the boy.

They had talked about him on and off for months, and when his friend had recently told him that his work on Quirk Analysis had earned him a Degree _and_ a Doctorate without him ever setting foot on the campus of the University that gave it to him, Nezu knew he had to find out more about the boy.

So he set out, and gathered all information possible on Izuku Midoriya.

And what he had found was a surprise, which honestly intrigued him even more.

Because there were few people who _didn't_ know of Izuku Midoriya in the West Side of Mustafu. Everyone only had good things to tell about the kind Quirkless teenager who was a die-hard Hero fan and someone who would always try to help others in any way he could.

He ended up digging a little more into the boy's history and profile, learning of his father's work overseas and the relentless bullying he faced at Aldera Junior High School, which he was already building a case against.

After all, Midoriya aside, it was absolutely _unacceptable_ for an educational institution for young children to mold those kind of attitudes in its students.

It was... truly amazing, that a child facing so much adversity from the world around him would still have such a kind spirit.

It was after his research on the boy that Nezu decided to meet him and truly judge his potential.

He had brought up an old idea of his out of the burner, to implement Quirk Studies Classes for the Hero Course, and contacted Washi to tell him that he was considering Izuku as a candidate to teach the subject.

His friend had been more than happy with that news and had proceeded to bombard him with all the information and paperwork he had related to the boy, something which slightly frightened the chimera. The crazy glint in Minato's eyes hadn't exactly set him at ease either.

And then, Izuku Midoriya had walked into his office.

He wasn't anything all too special, a surprisingly fit boy who was rather on the plain side, if one discounted his rather exotic hair color.

But any notions of Izuku being plain in any sense of the word had been shattered from the first few seconds since the two of them had met.

It started from when he completed the chimera's catchphrase, and of course, gave him a carton of his favorite cheese spread.

Combined with the fact that he hadn't been wearing a clip-on tie, Nezu had already accepted him then and there mentally.

However, he wanted to know the full extent of Izuku's character and abilities, so he pressed him on further.

He was _more_ than satisfied with what he had found.

So much so that he had actually decided to take him on as an apprentice as well as an employee. After all, the boy looked up to him as an idol on the same level as All Might, which was itself quite flattering, and something the chimera had never experienced before. He wasn't exactly popular among the Pro Heroes, so it gave him quite the ego boost to know that a bright young man like Izuku looked up to him.

Having reached his destination, Nezu pushed open the door to the Teacher's Lounge with a skip in his step, causing many people to shudder simultaneously at his cheer, which he found amusing.

A half-dead Shota was the first to notice him, and the scruffy man looked thankful for an excuse to get away from his loud, blonde friend.

"Can I help you, Sir?" he asked, drawing the attention of the other teachers.

"Oh, nothing like that." said Nezu cheerfully, waving a paw in the air. "This is more of an announcement, so I'd appreciate it if you all came over here."

Within seconds, all the teachers with the exception of Cementoss, who was out helping rebuild the Battle Areas after the rather tumultuous Entrance Exam the day before, stood before him, at attention.

"We will be having a new addition to the faculty for this new school year." he said pleasantly.

"I've decided to implement a Quirk Studies Class for the Hero Course students, and I've enlisted a good candidate for the position. In fact, he should arrive within a day or two just to get adjusted to his new duties."

They all nodded, pleasantly surprised by the news, although it was nothing too surprising.

However, Aizawa was the first to catch on as to why Nezu had come to tell them about if beforehand, which wasn't standard procedure, at least in the past.

"Don't tell me..." he said, his eyes narrowed. "That kid from earlier?"

Now _that_ drew a few murmurs of surprise.

"A kid?" asked Sekijiro Kan, better known as Vlad King. "What's he talking about, Sir?"

Nezu put the file folder down on the empty table before him, a pleasant smile on his face.

He opened it, briefly showcasing all the pictures he had acquired when hunting about information on the young man, before selecting one and closing the folder.

The picture was instantly snatched up by Nemuri Kayama, better known as Midnight.

"Oh~? Where did you find such a _fine_ specimen, Sir? He's simply _adorable_ too~!" she squealed, causing the men in the room to offer a silent prayer for the chastity and sanity of their latest colleague, though they didn't even know him.

"Our latest addition is quite the unorthodox one." he said, grinning at the confusion (and arousal in one case) on their faces. "Dr. Izuku Midoriya. Age: 13. Quirkless. Has a Doctorate and a Master's Degree in Quirk Analysis from I-Island University, the youngest to date, to be exact. I've spoken to him personally, and am quite pleased with my decision to include him among us."

"Damn." said Snipe. "That's pretty impressive."

"I knew the kid was good, since he figured me out in a few seconds, but still..." said Shota, his face showing a hint of begrudging respect. "Looks like you made a logical decision after all, Sir."

"Oh, on that note, I think you should see something!" said Nezu, mentally grinning before he gave a few sheets of paper to Eraserhead.

The man looked at him questioningly before beginning to read, and his eyes went wide in shock soon enough. His jaw hung open slightly, something that was not overlooked by the other people in the room.

Hizashi Yamada, better known as Present Mic, who was looking over his friend's shoulder, gaped in shock as his glasses nearly slid off his face.

Midnight, who was looking over his other shoulder, also gaped for a few moments in surprise before a slow grin spread across her face.

"Cat cafés, huh?" she said teasingly, only to find that Aizawa had actually frozen in shock, staring at what was basically his life story, his combat style and even his patrol routes and local haunts written down on a sheet of paper.

"I'm told that he's quite the Hero enthusiast." said Nezu, relishing the expression on the normally unflappable teacher's face.

"This is actually kind of scary." said Snipe, who had taken the sheets from the immobile Aizawa.

Sekijiro only nodded in agreement.

"Oh, did I mention that I'll also be training him personally?"

Everyone in the room paled rapidly, the occupants sharing a single thought.

_'God have mercy on that poor kid's soul. And ours, too.'_

Nezu's maniacal, squeaky laughter echoed hauntingly through the halls of U.A., causing everyone who heard it to shudder fearfully, as he further explained more about his new charge to his employees.

Afterwards, he continued his walk, coming to a decision.

Midoriya had the potential to be among the greatest Heroes of the new generation. He had intelligence, courage and willpower. This was why he had decided to take the boy as his own student, both to hone that intelligence of his and to tap into his potential.

What he lacked, however, was confidence and a Quirk, the former no doubt being related to that little tidbit.

Although, that last part could be amended.

He dialed up a number on his phone, and within seconds the man on the other end picked up.

"_Sir?_"

"Toshinori?" he said, holding the cell phone to his ear. "Do show up once at U.A. in a few days, will you? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

* * *

It was 6 P.M. by the time Izuku made it home, and he was mentally exhausted by the whole affair, but at the same time was also incredibly jubilant.

Not only had he been accepted as a teacher into U.A., but he was also being taken under the wing, or more accurately, the paw of the most intelligent Pro Hero in the world. He could both take this new opportunity and still keep going with his original dream.

He opened the door to his house to see his mother waiting anxiously for him on the couch, fidgeting slightly.

Upon seeing his tired but extremely happy face, a slow smile spread across her own visage.

"Izu, did you-?"

"I did it, mom!" said Izuku, throwing his briefcase onto the dining table and hugging his mother tightly. "Principal Nezu gave me the job!"

"Oh, Izuku!" she cried, hugging him back. "I knew you could do it!"

"That's my boy!" said another voice, and Izuku turned to see his father on video call, his mother's phone having been placed on the table, out of his immediate sight range. "Not only is he a doctor at 13, but he's also a teacher in the greatest Hero High School in the country!"

"Dad!" cried Izuku, picking up the phone and matching his father's smile. "How long have you been on?"

"A few hours, mainly talking to your mother. Once she told me what was going on, I just couldn't get any sleep. I _had_ to wait for you, Izu. I can't believe you kept me out of the loop like that, though!"

The three of them laughed together, finally throwing away any shadows of the life they had led since that fateful day 9 years prior.

It was a good day for the Midoriyas.

* * *

**[Congratulations, Izuku!]**

Emerald flew in figure eights in front of him, soaring through he air rather ungracefully.

**[But it's time to get down to business. I've located the Caster who attacked us before. Take an hour to rest up, and then we head out. We need to capture that Servant before they can accumulate too much power if we want to ever find a solution for our magic problem. I've cross referenced the Mirror World location to the map of Mustafu I downloaded from your computer. We need to go to the abandoned shrine by the park adjacent to Sunset Boulevard.]**

"Got it." said Izuku, his face turning serious.

Life may have been looking up for him, but he couldn't truly enjoy it until the threat of the Class Cards was eliminated and he managed to seal them all up.

It only had occurred to him at that moment, but Izuku Midoriya realized that he was on the path to becoming a Hero in his own way.

It may not have been the way he expected, but he would move forward, and walk proudly towards his dream.

* * *

**That's all for this chapter, folks!**

**I know that you all might be disappointed without any Servants or fighting in this chapter, but it was dedicated to Izuku's interview with Nezu, which I hope you all liked.**

**Nezu was a character who I really liked, and I was disappointed that canon didn't have very much of him. That won't be the case here, as he is now one of Izuku's mentors. And someone who would get along with Zelretch very well.**

**I also keep putting moments between Izuku and his mom as an act of protest against those who make her neglectful or evil in their stories. Inko Midoriya is exactly like her son, in all the good ways. She is one of those few sacred characters that shouldnt't be bashed.**

**Things are moving along now, and next chapter is going to have a good fight and some more expostion on the Deck of Heroes itself and of course, Servant shenanigans.**

**I'm not going to ramble on for long, so I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I request that you guys either Review or PM about any suggestions you have.**

**Thank you, and have a nice day!**

**Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, it's me, the Phoenix, back with another update of Event Horizon!**

**Boy, did you guys fight each other over the harem issue. I'll be honest with you guys; the harem won't interfere with the plot. I gurantee it. In fact, the harem actually has connections to the plot. As someone who is writing a DxD fic, please know that I'm well aware lf the right times and settings to develop relationships without straying to far from the plot. Any pure fluff moments that aren't relevant to the story will be shunted into the Omakes.**

**Apart from that, many of you didn't have much to talk about in the Reviews. One thing though; Izuku isn't a student of U.A. There are still some people confused about that, so I'm just clearing it up. Izuku will be Nezu's apprentice, and All Might's Successor, but not a student. He isonly going to be a teacher. Once again, just clarifying.**

**As for Ereshkigal and Ishtar, I definitely have plans for them, since I fell in love after watching the F/GO anime.**

**One thing though? Should they manifest as Rin or should they seek out new hosts in the MHA universe? I have suitable ideas for both.**

**Anyways, that's all I've got to talk about, so let's get on with the story!**

**Oh, and I hope you like the new costume design.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Deku**

* * *

Once again, against his better judgement, Izuku stood outside the entrance to the old shrine, having left a note for his mother saying he was on a stroll.

As much as he hated lying to his mom, he also knew that he couldn't go telling everyone about the existence of magic and his mission. He was reassured by the fact that there was no possible way a Villain could take advantage of this situation, considering humans with Quirks had no magical potential, and even Quirkless people like him had barely enough to make ends meet. In fact, without drawing magic from the Mana Plane thanks to Emerald, Izuku would probably be unable to perform any kind of magic.

This made it so that even if magic was exposed, nothing would really come of it. However, that didn't mean he was going to go around preaching about the existence of Magecraft. Even if nothing came of it, it would still draw attention, and that was something he didn't want at the moment. The fewer people who knew about his mission, the better.

"Is this the place?" asked Izuku, looking around to make sure no one was in any position to sneak up on them. While there was honestly nothing he could do if there was someone watching the area with some kind of surveillance Quirk, he might as well take the basic precautions to make sure no one saw him transforming into a Magical Boy and flying off to another dimension.

Speaking of which, Emerald said that his new costume was complete, and that it was way less embarrassing than the last one, which Izuku _refused_ to even think about.

**[Yep. This is the place. Caster's signature is coming from this general area. I'll be honest with you, this isn't going to be an easy fight.]**

"Is there anything that makes Caster more dangerous than Saber?" asked Izuku, his brow furrowed in thought. "Because I thought you said Saber was the strongest Class and Caster was the weakest."

The Kaleidostick sighed, floating a foot away from his face.

**[I said the Caster Class is **_**considered**_ **the weakest Class, and that the Saber Class is **_**considered**_ **the strongest Class. In the setting of a normal Holy Grail War, Sabers are considered the most valuable Class because not only are they usually comprised of Servants who have Superior Parameters and powerful Noble Phantasms, but they also are renowned for their high Magic Resistance, which immediately caused the Caster Class to fall to the bottom of the Tier List since they pretty much depend on magic for everything. However, in reality, while Saber may be the **_**strongest**_ **Class, Casters are the most **_**dangerous**_ **Class. If you give a Caster time to prepare, you've already lost unless you have a Servant with high Magic Resistance on your side. Casters are people throughout history who not only have phenomenal magical abilities, but also those who have the **_**intelligence**_ **to back it up and use it to its maximum potential.]**

"That makes sense." agreed the green-haired teen thoughtfully. "Basically, since Casters are way more versatile due to their magic, all they need to do is hunker down and get a home field advantage, and then anyone who engages them is basically at their mercy unless they have enough raw power or Magical Resistance to break through their defenses."

Emerald splayed his wings in pride, obviously pleased with his conclusion.

**[Astute as always, Master Izuku. This in fact, is the Caster Class' most recognized Skill; Territory Creation. Basically, the ability to turn a designated area into their Workshop, which is kind of like a cross between a secret base and a research lab that Magi throughout the ages use. Most instances of Territory Creation involve the use of Bounded Fields, which are basically magical wards that have unique effects, like warning the Caster that someone is in their vicinity if it is triggered. But to be honest, knowing the track record of Casters throughout the history of the Grail Wars, they can probably also poison you to death or cover you in flesh-eating worms.]**

Izuku gulped at that, his face paling.

**[Anyways, we're getting off track. The reason I was able to rack down Caster specifically is because he or she has already been setting up a base using Territory Creation, probably in the Mirror World version of this old shrine. Normally, I wouldn't be able to sense that, but thanks to the Card being an escapee from the Deck of Heroes, I can sense when the Heroic Spirit is using its abilities nearby, even if it's in the Mirror World, thanks to the fact that you are its registered owner. I'll tell you more about that later; it can wait for now. Anyways, this means that to capture the Caster, we essentially have to waltz into his or her base, which is most likely rigged with rudimentary traps, because Caster or not, there's no way the Servant could have accumulated enough magical energy to set up the more complicated Bounded Fields. And since the Saber we do have has sh*t Magical Resistance, not to mention the fact that you can't use the Class Cards to their full power, either through Summoning or Installing them, we have to resort to slightly riskier methods. Thankfully, we have Shielder and Ruler, both of whom have Noble Phantasms that are imbued with their ability to resist magic. Which means it's time I taught you how to Include Class Cards.]**

"Include?" asked Iuzku.

**[Yep. This is the most **_**basic**_ **way to use a Class Card. Just take a Class Card, slap it on me, and use the Include command. Try it with Shielder or Ruler's Cards once we enter the enemy Workshop. With your body's condition, you can't maintain the Include state for long, so save it for the actual fight.]**

"Okay." said Izuku, taking out the Shielder Card and holding it tightly in his left hand. He was slightly nervous, since his first encounter with a Heroic Spirit had almost led to him _dying_, and this one was apparently stronger _and_ had its own dungeon.

To his surprise, the Card glowed in response to his emotions.

_'Fret not Master, for we are with you. No harm shall befall you on our watch.'_, spoke a pleasant male voice in his mind. _'I am Galahad, The Knight of Purity, of the Shielder Class, and I swear this on my honor, my liege.'_

"T-thank you." stuttered Izuku, overwhelmed at being reassured by such a legendary figure. Because who _didn't_ know the legendary knight said to be chosen by God to search for the Holy Grail? Even if Quirks and modern Heroes dominated the stage, there were still many who remembered the old tales.

And he himself was one of those people.

**[Ready, Partner?]**

Izuku took a deep breath, his fingers closing around the Class Card.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

* * *

Honestly, this was the first time Izuku found himself _afraid_ of the old shrine.

Even if it had been abandoned for at least a decade, the family that used to run the shrine hired people to clean it every month, meaning it was always pristine and immaculate, still retaining its welcoming aura despite being unoccupied for a long time.

But now?

It looked like a haunted house.

And that was putting it _mildly_.

Waves of dark miasma rolled off the gate like smoke, the entire structure enveloped in a translucent inky blackness that put Izuku on edge. The shrine felt... _polluted_, for lack of a better word. Was this the result of whatever Caster had done?

If so, the Heroic Spirit in question must have been one _terrifying_ individual, to turn such a holy shrine to the old goddess Amaterasu into a derelict old ruin like this.

**[You like the new costume?]**

Emerald's voice snapped Izuku out of his horrified reverie, causing him to look at himself and realize that he wasn't wearing the same obnoxious outfit from before.

Izuku was now dressed in a skin-tight wetsuit that was a dark green color, with thickened black patches over the elbows, knees, and the soles of his feet. Over his feet he wore dark metal greaves that fitted over his feet perfectly, with red metal soles. The wetsuit also had ridges like armor plating over the upper part of his shins.

Over that Izuku wore a form-fitting, double-breasted three-tone black and gray hooded leather tunic jacket with green interior lining and two-layers of flares that hung the entire bottom of his jacket around his thigh. His rounded collar up to the shoulders of his jacket was dark green, seamlessly extending into a hood, with a two-tone gray and green color scheme like the rest of his jacket, which also included a zipper for his left breast pocket, and two more at the sleeves, which also possessed forest green cuffs. The sleeves were adorned with rerebraces and vambraces of black metal to protect his arms.

Completing the outfit were plain black gloves that were green around the fingertips and exposed his wrists, along with twin viridian crisscrossing belts crisscrossing belts that had a bright green, black-bordered leather _kama_ fastened to it with a number of snaps. The Deck of Heroes was fastened on the left side of his belts, and Emerald himself hung in wand form from the right side from their own snaps. The prominent belt buckle and the back of his jacket both bore the four-pointed star that Emerald had, which he assumed was sort of like his symbol, not unlike the crescent Moon on the Rabbit Hero Miruko's Hero Costume.

He didn't even notice it until Emerald pointed out that he was wearing his new outfit, but he also wore a mask, which covered only the upper part of his face and was whitish-tan with green, Japanese style, horn-like symbols decorating the front and two slits on each side presumably to allow for vision, although Izuku could see through it just fine, as if it wasn't even there.

All in all, the outfit was _awesome_. Izuku actually stood for a few moments, gaping at his own reflection in the pond outside the shrine and wondering if the imposing, bada*s-looking figure staring back at him was really the same dorky nerd that had been present moments before.

"This is... _amazing_!" said Izuku, reflexively testing his oufit's comfort level and maneuverability and finding it more than satisfactory. "I love it!"

And he did. Even if it wasn't the horrible amalgamation of All Might that his hypothetical costume sketches all included, it was simply amazing, hitting all the right aesthetics and themes that Izuku couldn't even have _thought_ of before.

How did Emerald design an outfit _this_ good in such a short amount of time when his last outfit was so embarrassing?

The answer, unknown to him, was probably because Emerald had designed _that_ outfit specifically to cater to the opposite sex, especially older women. He wasn't bad at fashion, actually being quite good at it compared to his sisters, but he was also a pervert just like Ruby but with the subtlety of Sapphire.

_This_ outfit was designed to appeal to _all_ target demographics, maintaining a strict balance between all the different types of appeals to make it a favorite among many different audiences and give Izuku a confidence boost, instead of killing him out of embarrassment like the last outfit.

**[I'm glad you like it! I spent a lot of time on the internet finding the perfect articles and designs to bring out the best aspects of you. I know that you might not have liked dark colors, but the look I was going for was 'bada*s Ninja-Mage', so I took a few liberties, not that it didn't pay off, because this is hands down the **_**best**_ **Costume in the world. I guarantee it. I also used traditional Japanese styling for the mask just to reflect the culture of your home. All in all, I think this is my best work, but to be honest it's also due to your own appearance and physique that you're pulling it off to its maximum potential. The clothes make the man, as they say, but the opposite also applies sometimes.]**

The Kaleidostick unlatched itself from his belts to float around him, radiating smugness while checking him out from all angles to re-affirm his claim.

**[**_**Now**_ **is the right time to say it! Introducing the brand new Kaleid Liner: Prisma Izu-]**

"Deku."

**[What do you-]**

"That's what I want to call myself.", said Izuku, looking away from Emerald. "I think... that's the name I want to use, both as a Kaleid Liner and as a Hero. It's a name that was used to denote me as weak and powerless, so I want to _excel_ and become a great person with that same name!"

That had been on his mind for a while, especially since Nezu said he would train Izuku personally into a Pro Hero. He had come up with various Hero Names in his youth, most of them variations or offshoots of All Might in some way or another, but after getting the Deck of Heroes and realizing just how big the world out there really was, Izuku had decided that he needed to choose a name to reflect his own identity, not someone else's. He still admired All Might, as he always did, but he also wanted to be seen as his own person now, as he had his own path to walk down that was drastically different from anyone else's.

And to be honest, nothing defined him better than the name 'Deku'. A spin on his name that could mean both 'useless', as it had been intended to mean, or also 'one who never gives up', both of which had applied to him at one point or another. He had graduated from the time it had meant useless. Now, he had a burning desire to make that name great, just like All Might had made his. When the Symbol of Peace had first chosen that name, many had laughed, finding it both incredibly corny and needlessly narcissistic. But now? All Might was a name that inspired awe and hope in the hearts of the people and inspired fear in the hearts of Villains.

He wanted to achieve that same feat.

Emerald stared for a few moments before bursting into laughter, causing Izuku to turn away with a blush on his cheeks, clearly embarrassed.

"S-sorry, i-is that too-" he bang, only to get cut-off by the still chuckling Kaleidostick.

**[No, you're misunderstanding me; I'm not laughing at you because I think you're being silly. This is laughter born from both pride and admiration. Seriously, Master, even without trying you keep impressing me. Using a name meant to belittle you and break your spirit as your Hero name, a name you intend to bring to greatness and infamy? If you can do that, I don't think there's anything you **_**can't**_ **do. Not only is that an amazing goal, but it's also a slap to the face of every bigoted idiot who thought you were useless just because you weren't born with a Quirk. I approve. I **_**definitely**_ **approve.]**

Izuku's blush deepened further at the praise, shuffling nervously.

**[Ahem, so let's try this again. Now introducing, the brand new Kaleid Liner: Prisma Deku!]**

Emerald let out a small burst of green light that exploded into sparkles above his head.

**[Now **_**this**_ **feels right. Why don't we go knock on Caster's door. I think you have a plan?]**

"Yeah." said Izuku, taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders for his first ever true mission as Prisma Deku. This was who he was now, under the cover of darkness, at the moment, anyway. This was his persona as a Hero. Even if it wasn't under the circumstances he had expected, he was still doing what he'd only _dreamed_ of doing since he was a child; saving people in a cool costume, even if he was saving them indirectly in the current situation.

This was the beginning of his tale. Saber was more like a tutorial, with him basically flailing around having no idea what to do and eventually defeating her due to sheer luck. If they had fought in an area with less trash around, he might not have survived that fight.

Now, he was truly beginning his journey, as both Izuku Midoriya and the Hero, Deku.

* * *

In the end, the plan was simple.

**[Kaleido-Flare!]**

An emerald beam of magical energy blasted a hole into the main foyer of the shrine, and Izuku winced at the damage, begging for mercy from the goddess whom it belonged to for his trangression.

Izuku knew that the corrupted Heroic Spirits were no doubt little more than mindless savages, according to what Emerald had told him. However, what made him wary was that, just like Saber, the _instincts_ of these Servants were still as sharp as ever. They may have been mindless, but it wasn't a drunk kind of mindlessness, but rather the kind of mindlessness that got other people killed.

Izuku didn't think that he was capable of outsmarting a Caster Servant, even at their mental weakest. He may have been exceptionally smart, but these people were geniuses who figured out how to bend reality to their whims. He knew that any plan he came up with would no doubt be seen through almost immediately.

Which is why his master plan was to go in _without_ one.

Instead, he abandoned all subtlety and blasted in through the main entrance.

To his surprise, though, his attack had actually _hit_ the Heroic Spirit head on, sending him or her crashing to the wall, despite the fact that he hadn't even aimed the shot, intending to use it as a means of both making an entrance and distracting his enemy with a feint attack.

True to Emerald's words, the Bounded Fields placed over the shrine did little to actually hinder him due to Emerald's protections, but it also gave away his position to the Heroic Spirit, meaning that the element of surprise was lost. At least he wasn't covered in flesh eating worms, because _that_ would have been a pain to explain to his mom.

Oh well. Izuku had expected that much from the get go itself.

**[Move!]**

Izuku reacted immediately, strafing left as the area behind him was obliterated by a glut of flame.

As the smoke cleared, Izuku realized that the Caster Class Servant was _clearly_ a she. She had long, flowing pink hair tied up behind her with a ribbon, possessing glowing, sickly yellow eyes that gleamed in the low light. She wore blue robes and had a pair of fox ears and a fox tail that were a bleached orangish color. Although she had the veins of corruption all over her, not unlike Saber, Izuku could tell that she was normally a peerless beauty.

Seriously, if it weren't for Galahad, Izuku would have thought that all Heroic Spirits were pretty girls of various ages and ethnicities.

Anyways, thinking on that topic could come later, because right now he was in imminent danger of getting murdered.

Izuku had almost immediately realized which Heroic Spirit the woman was almost immediately, and then suddenly everything began to make a scary amount of sense. The old shrine, back when it had been active, was a popular spot for newlyweds to visit, and it was believed that the blessings of Amaterasu that could be obtained there would guarantee a long, happy married life to all who sought it.

Which meant Caster, who he was almost certain was Tamamo no Mae, had been drawn to the shrine no doubt due to a compulsion born from her past, one which made Izuku worry. She had killed a lot of people during her lifetime and even _after_ it when she became the Killing Stone, which was a cause for concern, but not nearly as concerning as the fact that she was also believed to have been a fragment of the goddess Amaterasu.

Which meant, he was essentially fighting a Pseudo-Divine Spirit.

The situation was just as bad as last time, even if he had been more prepared for what was to come this time around.

Caster flung what looked like a paper tag at him, but Izuku wasn't dumb enough to believe that the projectile was harmless in any way. He channeled his meager magical energy, boosted by Emerald's limited capability to draw from the Mana Plane, and used it to enhance his physical parameters, causing his body to glow a faint green before he jumped out of the way of the incoming object, leaving visible indents in the floor.

The paper tag, no, the _talisman_ glowed before exploding into a blast of cryogenic energy that froze the area he had been standing on moments prior, the jagged spikes of ice that were cropping up removing any doubt in Izuku's mind that Caster was too weak to cause him harm.

Izuku jumped and kicked off of the wall, sending him sailing through the air towards the Heroic Spirit, leaving a faint green trail behind him. In mid-air, he raised Emerald in an overhand swing, and slammed him onto the floor, real easing a shockwave of viridian energy that knocked back Caster and everything else in its radius, cracking the floor.

**[Ow!]**

"Sorry! Emerald-san, can you turn into a close-range weapon?"

**[I told you, your imagination is the only limit to what I can do. That, and the amount of magical energy you have. Whatever you think of, provided that it doesn't consume too much magical energy for you to provide, can be done. But yes, I can turn into a sword. Just imagine a blade coming out of me.]**

Izuku did so, and to his surprise, Mana began to condense at Emerald's tip, forming a glowing green blade of magical energy not unlike the ones seen in lightsabers, except the blade was more clearly defined instead of cylindrical.

**[Sword Configuration Engaged!]**

Izuku dashed forward, attempting to slash at Caster, but she nimbly moved out of the way, throwing a talisman as she did so. It his Izuku head on, before exploding into flames, causing him to wince as he felt the heat sear his skin.

To his surprise, though, he was actually unharmed, which meant that Emerald's barrier had been able to block the talisman's power almost completely, not counting the heat energy that was released. He actually saw it for a moment, flickering green like a second skin above his own, before fading back into transparency.

**[Sorry, but this is magic from the Age of Gods. Even if it's weakened, it's still pretty potent, and this Caster seems to possess some kind of Divinity, making it even stronger than it would be normally. The barrier should hold, but I'd recommend not taking too many more hits.]**

"Not a problem!"

Izuku ran forward again, and when Caster retaliated by throwing another one of her talismans, he cut through it, causing it to split into two halves that exploded into bursts of flame behind him, the explosion boosting his velocity, to the point where he had crossed the distance between himself and Caster in the span of a second, not giving her enough time to launch another one of her talismans.

However, his horizontal slash was blocked by an ornate mirror bordered in gold, which Izuku recognized, causing him to pale as he realized his thesis had been correct. After all, there weren't that many special mirrors in Japanese mythology.

No doubt this was associated with Caster's Noble Phantasm, which Izuku still wasn't sure she could use.

His combat stance against her was to get in close, since Casters were notoriously weak at close range and weren't very strong in terms of physical parameters. It was kind of stereotypical, but Izuku would take any concession he could get at this point.

Although, the floating mirror might make that a tad difficult.

**[Wand Configuration Engaged! Eruption Point!]**

Izuku jabbed the mirror with Emerald, releasing a pulse of compressed kinetic energy that caused a small blast of green light as it hit the mirror, sending it flying and embedding it in one of the walls.

Izuku staggered, stunned by the sudden dip in his magical reserves, shakily stumbling out of the way of another talisman as Caster took the opportunity to put more distance between them.

Thankfully, he felt Emerald restoring his Mana, so the feeling of fatigue faded pretty quickly, and he regained his composure, giving chase to the Heroic Spirit.

The situation with with his Mana reserves was inconvenient, but thankfully wasn't to the point where he could only fire off a single spell before fainting. The thing is, he had a low magic capacity, but the rate at which he regenerated Mana was fairly high thanks to Emerald. Of course, Emerald himself had a maximum limit to the amount of Mana he could draw from the Mana Plane before he overheated, in a manner of speaking, which was about enough to power a Noble Phantasm, in Emerald's own words.

The problem was that Izuku couldn't hold enough Mana in his body at one point in time to even _use_ a Noble Phantasm because of his low quality nearly nonexistent Circuits. Theoretically, although he could use enough Mana to fire off a Noble Phantasm, he couldn't contain the required amount in his body to pull it off. It was similar to being unable to use a high ranking spell in a videogame simply because your maximum MP was below the required amount needed to use the spell.

That was why he was confined to low-level, cheap spells such as the small energy blasts he could fire off with Emerald as well as the physical enhancement, which he found out was called Reinforcement, or at least the prototype of the magical art. However, he could maintain these smaller spells for a decent amount of time due to Emerald constantly regenerating his Mana and making sure he had enough to keep him going.

In fact, the green, circuit-like patterns created across his skin by the activation of his Circuits was visible through his costume, which seemed to be something Emerald had done intentionally for aesthetic effect.

The Kaleidostick tended to be really serious when it came to stuff like showmanship and fashion. It was the reason why he kept calling out his attack names, too.

But still, the power that Emerald gave him was amazing. Limited by imagination. As long as he had the Mana, he could essentially do _anything_ using the Kaleidostick, which made it extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Not for the first time, Izuku was glad that people with Quirks did not have Magic Circuits, meaning that Emerald would be little more than a toy wand in their hands.

Izuku jumped over a talisman, narrowly avoiding the spikes of ice that now sailed harmlessly beneath him, before pointing and firing off another Kaleido-Flare, which was blocked by Caster's mirror, although it flew back and slammed into her.

Already, the Heroic Spirit was beginning to get sluggish. Surprisingly enough, though even weakened she had way more Mana than him, if it came down to a battle of attrition, then Izuku would be the one who came out victorious. Although she could use much more powerful magic than him since she had a larger capacity, he was the only one out of the two of them who could sustainably regenerate power in the middle of combat thanks to Emerald.

But even if Caster was beginning to slow down, both in physical and magical speed, Izuku wasn't about to drop his guard. When cornered, people tended to go beyond (Plus Ultra!) their limits and overpower their adversaries, and in this case, she might even fire off her Noble Phantasm, of which he had no sure-fire way of determining if he would survive. Hell, he didn't even know what it did, meaning he couldn't come up with a suitable counter to it.

That was the weakness of all analytical abilities, he supposed. They were useless without anything to analyze in the first place.

He managed to catch up to her, but before he could launch a suitable attack, he was forced to go on the defensive as she let off a flurry of punches and kicks, displaying a surprising amount of martial prowess. To his horror though, the blows were all aimed at an area no man wanted damage to occur to, so Izuku jumped back, narrowly avoiding the mirror which had tried to bash him from the side when he was distracted.

Just as he had expected, Cadter was a tricky opponent.

Izuku ducked under her punch, before twisting to avoid a kick to the face and spinning around to catch her with his signature haymaker, cracking her ribs and eliciting a cry of pain.

**[Damn, what is it with you and those rib-cracking haymakers of yours?!]**

Unfortunately, he hadn't been prepared for her to recover almost instantaneously and and use her mirror like a baseball bat, striking him in the chin and sending him flying. A flare of green showed that his Kaleidostick-enhanced defenses had been able to mostly tank the hit, but dear lord did it _hurt_.

Kaachan's explosions gave him a foot pain tolerance, giving him the ability to keep fighting even if his arms were broken without even uttering a sound, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel the pain.

Wiping the trickle of blood from his chin, already feeling the beginnings of a bruise, but thankful that his jaw hadn't been broken from the force of the swing, Izuku dashed forward, grabbing onto the mirror and flipping himself over it, his foot glowing green with his prototype version of Reinforcement as he landed an axe kick straight onto Caster's skull in an incredible show of dexterity, the force of the blow actually creating a visible shock wave and causing the ground (and her skull) to crack beneath her feet as she cried in pain from the devastating blow.

**[Oh dear God!]**

Caster yelled, causing a blast of purple energy to explode off of her, sending him flying through the air as the green barrier around his skin cracked like glass and shattered, barely taking the brunt of the damage but ultimately not being able to fully negate the blow.

**[Shields Down! Buy me a couple seconds to get it back up!]**

Unfortunately, Caster seemed to have had enough, and magical power began to visibly coalesce over her form as multiple talismans began to float around her.

**[Crap! That's definitely the same Caster from before! She's not using a Noble Phantasm, but that attack will leave more than a mark if it hits!]**

Izuku made a small noise of acknowledgement, halting his flight as a floating magical circle formed behind him, catching him and stretching as if it were a trampoline before flinging him back the way he came, straight towards Caster.

The Servant in question saw him rocketing back towards her, and aimed the slowly forming ball of malevolent purple energy at his approaching form.

Just as he had planned.

Izuku quickly placed Emerald between his teeth as twin magical circles appeared beneath his palms, releasing a blast of green energy that propelled him forward, just like how he had seen Kaachan do it countless times in his training.

Izuku smashed down onto the ground literally _inches_ away from Caster, whose eyes had widened in shock from the sudden proximity, before he spat the Kaleidostick back into his hand.

Using every once of Mana present in his body, Izuku cast the spell that would earn him victory that day.

**[Concave Kaleido-Shield!]**

Caster's purple ball of death, which was still pointed towards the air, was suddenly enveloped partially by a green dome of magical energy supported from the back by a familiar magical circle bearing a four-pointed star.

Caster unintentionally released her attack at the same time, sealing her fate.

The ball hit the oddly shaped shield barely an inch away from it and promptly blew up. The force of the magical blast, however, travelled along the rims of the concave, dome-like structure and was ultimately transmitted back to its own caster, pun intended.

Izuku crossed his arms and channeled whatever Mana he had regained into his protections as his Kaleido-Shield failed to completely reflect the spell and exploded, the blast hitting both of them, although Caster herself took the brunt of her own attack thanks to Izuku's spell.

Izuku skidded back from the force of the blow, emerald light clouding his vision as his defenses strained to hold out against the attack, shattering towards the end and causing his sleeves to get shredded from the force of the blow, though his vambraces and rerebraces managed to take a good deal of the damage for him.

Izuku fell into a sitting position, panting, as the smoke began to clear, revealing Caster, who was knocked onto the ground, forming a new crater, her form flickering weakly with golden energy as her Spirit Origin began to destabilize from the damage she had taken.

Emerald took the moment to weakly let out a cry of victory, the Kaleidostick also burnt and bruised, with a few bandaged placed comically over his ring.

**[Hah! Return to sender, moron!]**

Izuku let out a few coughs as the adrenaline rush began to fade, revealing that _yes_, he was pretty freaking tired, and _yes_, he was banged up, though not nearly as bad as last time, considering he only had a few burns and bruised this time around.

Even if he hadn't been able to practice, Izuku's improvement was still highly commendable, something that Emerald took note of and stored in his diary.

**[Hey, what **_**was**_ **that, anyway?]**

"It's... something I thought of when I saw Caster's mirror; a concave shield, curved in order to redirect and reflect the force and magic of Caster's spell right back at her instead of a straight one that would have dissipated the energy evenly around it. I wasn't sure if it would work, but thankfully the shield was strong enough to endure the spell long enough for it to mostly be turned against Caster herself.

**[Amazing. I honestly didn't think I'd see the day where bastardized Physics would save the day against a Heroic Spirit.]**

Izuku let out a weak laugh, getting back to his feet as his costume began to glow with motes of emerald light as it regenerated the damage that had been done to it.

"Funny. Neither did I. Now let's seal Caster and go home. I'm pretty tired."

**[Yeah, me too. We may not have taken as much punishment as last time, but the amount of Mana we used today was almost **_**exponentially**_ **higher. We'll talk more in the safety of your All Might shrine.]**

"You mean my room?" asked Izuku in confusion and embarrassment.

**[I stand by my earlier statement.]**

Ignoring the chortling Kaleidostick, Izuku walked across the room to the downed form of Caster.

He raised Emerald to release another attack in order to defeat her, but then halted at her expression.

Caster looked... _afraid_, although her sickly yellow eyes seemed like they weren't quite looking at him, but at something else he couldn't see. Resignation and despair warred for control in those pale orbs, along with a deep yearning for something he didn't know of.

Her frame was wracked with shudders, and she seemed to be desperately trying to curl in on herself.

It was at this moment that Izuku remembered the full details of the legend of Tamamo no Mae, specifically her final moments before she became the Killing Stone, causing a lump to form in his throat as he released his grip on Emerald.

She had been hunted, accused of murder simply because of her vulpine features, and had been forced to flee, accosted by the same people who claimed to love her, simply because she wasn't _human_. It was the type of discrimination that had been present since the dawn of mankind, an irrational hatred of all those who were _different_, not unlike how he had suffered for being Quirkless.

She had fled to the plains of Nasu, where she became infamous for the murder of thousands of people, though it was not any fault of her own, as she had tried to reason with the soldiers who were sent to kill her. Her second encounter with the force had her covered in arrows, blood streaming from her wounds, as she tearfully begged them to let her leave, trying desperately to convince the hate-filled men of her innocence.

She died screaming, struck by an enchanted arrow, and perished alone and afraid, brutalized by the blind hatred that mankind seemed to unconditionally possess.

Izuku hadn't noticed with Saber, considering he had set her _on fire_, meaning it kind of hard to pay attention to her face, but it looked as if Caster, no, _Tamamo_, was reliving her final moments as her Spirit Origin began to crumble.

Even if she had been an adversary, it tore at his heart to see that expression on her face.

A sudden chill flowed through his veins.

Her expression was not unlike the one he had made that fateful day when he was 4. When his dreams had crumbled around him as his world was spun on its axis. He had been alone then, silently wallowing in despair until he took his life back into his own hands and carved out his own path.

She had been alone too. With no one being there for her, to offer her comfort in her final moments. He had been blessed with the opportunity to pick up the pieces and continue his life anew. She hadn't.

Looking at her, Izuku knew that he couldn't just leave her alone like this.

After all, he wanted to be a Hero like All Might, didn't he?

As his mask dematerialized, he took her hand in his own, causing her to stare at him in shock, as if she was looking at him for the first time.

Izuku did the only thing he could.

He _smiled_.

Her breath hitched.

_"It's okay. I'm here now."_

Tamamo's body shuddered as a single tear slid down her cheek.

Almost immediately afterwards, she dissolved into motes of golden light, revealing a Class Card with the image of an old hooded man with a staff on it, the word 'Caster' being printed beneath it.

Izuku raised his hand, and as emerald chains erupted around the Card, Sealing it and driving out the corruption, he was thankful that he was able to grant her some semblance of comfort in her final moments.

**[That was a nice thing you did for her, Master, but you do realize that she isn't dead, right? You can summon her later.]**

"Maybe, but it just felt like the right thing to do."

**[No arguments there! Now let's go home.]**

"Yeah. Let's."

**[Wait a minute.]**

"What?"

**[Why didn't you Include any of the Cards?]**

Izuku suddenly stiffened.

The meaty smack of a palm hitting a face rung out across the destroyed shrine.

* * *

Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he fell onto his bed, thankful to get some rest.

His whole body _ached_, both from the strain of combat and from using and channeling so much magical energy.

But he was getting stronger. He had a cool new costume and a Hero Name. He was doing what he could to help people, even if they didn't know it. He was training to become a legit Pro Hero under Principal Nezu and was going to be a teacher at U.A. very soon.

For the first time in his life, Izuku could whole-heartedly say that the pain was all worth it. The road wasn't unclear anymore, and neither was his place in the world.

Although that did lead to something he did want to ask Emerald about.

He turned to the Kaleidostick, who was using a hand-towel as a bath robe, soaking in the warm water of a birdbath Izuku had set up for him. It was honestly kind of funny to see the Mystic Code like that.

"Hey Emerald-san, how exactly does the Deck of Heroes work?"

It was something that had been bothering him, as he had been basically winging it this whole time.

**[I can't really say; I only have basic information on it. It's creation and purpose are unknown to me. What I do know is that is that it essentially turns its contracted Master, you in this case, into a Master for multiple Heroic Spirits, and itself acts as a sort of stasis module to make sure they don't suck you dry, which is why they're able to return to Card Form instead of being active all the time and draining you of Mana. It also has a Master Life Support System, which prevents registered Servants from trying to harm you, sort of as a compensatory measure for not having Command Seals. Many Masters have been killed by Servants incompatible with them, after all. It also can't be stolen or even touched by someone other than you, as most people will end up ignoring it completely as if it wasn't even there. The Deck will return to your side whenever you call for it. The Deck can also recall all of its Class Cards. This Deck lost its Cards because the seal was broken when it contracted to you, causing the Class Cards to escape into the Mirror Dimension. I'm not sure how that came to be, though, because as far as I know that shouldn't be possible. Only my creator can say for sure, however, since he was the one who created the Deck. And we won't be able to meet him anytime soon. He has a habit of meddling with alternate worlds, which is why I believed that it was a prank he was playing, but something just doesn't seem right about that...]**

Izuku wanted to ask about that, but listening to Emerald's tone, decided that the subject of his creator could wait for another time. His questions had been answered, although a few more had cropped up, but he was satisfied for now.

Now, it was onto another line of business, which he had to settle before his mom came home.

He took the Shielder, Caster and Saber Cards into his hands.

"Summon: Saber!"

The Class Card exploded into motes of golden light as a magical circle erupted before him, revealing the same Saber he had fought, though her skin was healthy and unblemished and her eyes didn't look as sickly as before.

"The Captain of the Shinsengumi's First Unit, Okita Souji is here! Nice to meet you, Master!"

As opposed to the cold, emotionless mask of the corrupted Okita he had fought, the normal one looked quite cheerful and happy.

"H-hello." he said, cursing himself for the umpteenth time for his stutter. Why couldn't he talk to pretty girls normally, damn it?! "S-sorry about s-setting y-you on fire, Okita-san."

_'Wow, way to go, genius. Nice way to start a conversation.'_

"Haah? Oh, it's of no concern, Master. In fact, I thank you for curing me of that dreadful condition. Being corrupted like that was the most _horrible_ feeling ever, as if I was in my body but my actions controlled by something else. Now I feel great and heal- ***blurgh***"

Okita suddenly coughed up a large glob of blood, causing Izuku to scream in fright, before fading back into her Card Form, mentally cursing for embarrassing herself in front of her new Master. She hoped here was someone out there who felt her pain.

* * *

All Might suddenly tensed up as he was fighting a villain, a hundred kilometers away.

Suddenly' he arched his head, confusing the hell out of the giant octopus-man.

"What are you-"

**"Detroit... SNEEZE!"**

The octopus-man was sent flying as a small tornado suddenly formed out of thin air, spinning him around and flinging him.

Meanwhile, All Might clenched his fist in sympathy. Somewhere out there, there was a kindred spirit waiting for him.

Oh well. That matter could wait. First, he should see what the Principal wanted.

* * *

**[Wow, I can't believe she destabilized her Spirit Origin with that cough. That's kind of sad.]**

"I hope she's okay." said Izuku, biting his lip.

**[You should probably hold off on summoning her until you can provide enough Mana to make sure she doesn't kill herself by coughing.]**

Izuku nodded, taking the Caster Card next.

"Summon: Caster!" he said kind of nervously.

He hoped she wasn't in the same state as she was when he had defeated her.

To his relief, when Tamamo appeared, she appeared healthy, with a smile on her face, the veins of corruption having long since vanished, just like Okita.

However, when she laid eyes on him, Tamamo _froze_.

"U-um T-Tamamo-san? Are you-"

Izuku was cut off as Tamamo promptly latched on to him, forcing him against the wall, and smashed her lips onto his.

For years afterwards, Emerald who had been observing with _interest_, the picture of this moment, where Izuku had pretty much _crashed_, blushing neon red, his eyes comically widened, while Tamamo pressed her bountiful chest against his own muscular body, her tail and arms wrapped around him as she captured him in a _searing_ kiss, would be one that he would remember fondly as the moment he knew that his plans probably had a better chance of coming to fruition than he realized.

* * *

**Oh snap, fluffiest waifu is here! It's time for Tamamo to shine! **

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, as I enjoyed writing it, especially the fight, although it was kind of short in my opinion. I know I may have taken a few liberties with the Kaleidostick mechanics, but they do mention in the anime that it's only limited by imagination, so I just moved forward.**

**Izuku's new costume is pretty dope in my opinion. If you don't know what a _kama_ is, it's one of those skirt things that the Clone Trooper Commandos in Star Wars wear to protect their thighs. I wanted to give Izuku a wizard motif, as his own Servant Class is originally Caster. I just... modernized it, and added a ninja aesthetic as well.**

**As for Tamamo, the reason why she's so forward is because she rememebrs what happened when she was corrupted, just like Okita, and thus remembers what Izuku did for her. For someone like Tamamo, who would normally call anyone who summoned her as her spouse, this was too much for her to contain without displaying some overt form of affection.**

**Poor Izuku though. May his soul rest in peace, because his mind is probably broken and his heart won't be resting anytime soon.**

**We'll see more of the other Servants in the next chapter as they come up with plans to fix the magic problems, and swear fealty to the all mighty (get it) Izuku.**

**Of course, thanks for the support, and feel free to Review or PM me with any doubts or suggestions you may have. Constructive criticism is welcome, but flames are not. You can hand those to Endeavor.**

**That's all for today, so stay tuned, folks!**

**Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, it is I, the Phoenix, back with another update before I release the new chapter of Hero Complex in a few days.**

**This chapter is mainly an interaction-based one, so I decided to get it out there before I continue with my other projects, because I decided to post at least a single chapter of my other story ideas. Based on how popular they are, I'll work on them more.**

**I have a Worm fanfic, two MHA fanfics, and possibly a RWBY one coming out soon, if only for one chapter. But for now my Update priorities are Hero Complex and the Second Arc of Multiplayer, which I will begin soon.**

**I don't have much else to say, so it's time for the Reviews.**

**Thanks all of you for the praise, and I am doing my level best to keep everyone within character, so thank you for acknowledging it. As for KillaBee, I thank you for defending me from those retards who can't even read past the first chapter. Seriously, it ticks me off that four or five people literally took my idea and began giving their own twists to it and publishing it, and no one says anything, but borrow a few paragraphs from a long dead crossover with another franchise, and then suddenly I'm an evil plagarist. Get real, people. **

**And don't worry about the Servants. I can confirm Medea, Eresh-chan, Modred, Scáthach, ****and others will be joining soon. Very soon.**

**I hear you, Mellra, and most of those Servants will come soon. And I'm pretty sure mine is the first Prisma Izuku fic out there, because I looked it up just to make sure before I published it back in December. Most of the others came afterwards, which is okay, because they're all doing their own thing, even if I provided the seed. I just get pissed at people who say my story isn't original when they don't even read it.**

**Anyways, one or two of you were confused about Tamamo's actions, which sould become more clear in this chapter. Izuku's words to her had a profound affect on her, and she was someone who would proclaim her Master as her husband and attempt to seduce him without even meeting them. You do the math.**

**And on the subject of Izuku's father, I do find it wierd that Horikoshi doesn't want to bring him up at all, which is why everyone makes horrible assumptions about him. Although Izuku doesn't talk about his dad, he doesn't seem to hate him, either. It just feels like Izuku forgot he existed.**

**Anyways, that's all for now, so let's get on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Memories **

* * *

All her life, Tamamo no Mae had only desired two things.

Love and acceptance.

Two things that she had never gotten as long as she had lived, and two things that she felt the lack of all too keenly as she lay dying towards the end of her tale.

That was why she had given up her divinity to begin with, and had reincarnated as a human girl in the old province of Izumo. To understand and experience the love that humans held for one another, the love that could outlast even the most bitter hatred.

Of course, she hadn't desired anything superficial; admiration she had experienced almost her whole life, as Mizukume, the most beautiful child of her region, and later Tamamo no Mae, the most beautiful woman of the Emperor's court. Women wanted to be her, and men wanted to be with her. It was something she had known, but also something that had left her feeling all the more lonely.

It was to be expected. Try and try as she may to blend in with humans, she was a pseudo-Divine Spirit, a fragment of Amaterasu herself. And most Divine Spirits could never find such things, no matter how much they pined for them.

The same women who wanted to be her envied her for her beauty and wit, and kept their distance, glaring at her behind fake smiles and grandiose gestures, seething in silent fury that she was everything they were not. She would find no acceptance from them, no matter how much she tried to cater to them and befriend them.

The men who wanted to be with her only lusted after her body, without any regards to her feelings or her personality. Their love was all too shallow, and wasn't the affection she had craved. Even Emperor Toba was not innocent of such a thing, paying little heed to her wisdom. It was this that had hurt the most, as she had become his court lady at the age of eighteen, because it seemed like the Emperor had valued her wisdom. She had hoped that maybe she would find the acceptance she craved with him, but it was not to be. Instead, all he did was keep her around as a pretty face. Some accounts believed that their love was real, and others believed that she led him on, but the truth was that he himself did not want to marry her as it would go against the traditions of his dynasty. He was just as shallow as the other men she had met during her life.

She was revered, yes, as the most beautiful woman of the Emperor's court. But reverence was _far_ from the same thing as acceptance.

So she stayed alone and unloved, although she was surrounded by the trappings of luxury, and lived a lifestyle that most would kill for. And it all became even worse when one morning, she found that she had sprouted fox ears and a tail.

Abe no Seimei, unfortunately, had found out about a month after it had happened, though she tried her hardest to keep her new features concealed. Unfortunately for her, the Emperor had only just fallen mysteriously ill.

To her shock and horror, just because she was _different_, she was immediately the one that was blamed. The women who had envied her now found their chance and inflamed others against her, while the same men who had lusted after her body now stared at her in thinly veiled disgust and fear.

She had fled the Emperor's Court in tears, and army contingent was sent after her.

The rest, as they say, was history, and not a pleasant one at that.

She had died trapped in the utmost sorrow, her one dream being left unfulfilled and her one desire never being achieved.

She had sunk into darkness, steepled in despair.

But then, _he_ had appeared. A handsome green-haired youth, with eyes of the purest emerald, that she could gaze into _forever_.

Even as she lay dying, forsaken and abandoned, he had smiled at her, and taken her by the hand.

_It's okay. I'm here now._

Those five words were delivered with more untainted and _pure_ kindness than she had ever recieved during her lifetime. Love simmered in those green eyes, not love of the flesh, but a love for all sapient life forms, and a desire to protect.

The moment she had gazed upon him, she had known.

_That this man, no, this **Angel**, was the ideal husband she had been waiting her whole life for._

She had subconsciously registered the nature of her summoning and her new attributes as a Heroic Spirit, but all that was important to her was finding this person and staying by his side for the rest of her days.

Thankfully, he was right in front of her.

And she hadn't wasted a moment in taking the initiative. After all, this man no doubt had dozens if not _hundreds_ of women lusting after him, which was only natural as he was _clearly_ a higher lifeform than all the other men in the world, and if she wanted to claim her place by his side, then she would have to work _fast_.

That, and the fact that she couldn't contain her love at the sight of the one person who had been there for her in her darkest hour, and the only person who had ever shown her the true affection and acceptance she had craved for so long.

So without wasting any time, she pounced on him and slammed her lips onto his.

She shuddered from all the signals her body was sending her as she wrapped herself around him, moaning as she rubbed against his chiseled body. She barely registered her kimono beginning to fall off around her as she leaned into the kiss, trying to transmit the pure _passion_ she felt for the one before her.

Her beloved husband.

Meanwhile, with Izuku...

_**ERROR! ERROR! Main Systems have become unresponsive!**_

**_Unknown data has been detected in the system. File 'She's kissing me?!' has been found. File 'Pretty girl!' has been found. File 'Boobs!' has been found._**

**_System corruption detected. File 'Love? What is that?' has been corrupted. File 'Izuku's Innocence' has found a bug._**

**_Brain activity at 1.8%._**

**_Sensory Overload detected._**

**_Files corrupted and malware detected. Beginning reboot._**

**_Shutting down. . ._**

_**Saving users settings. . .**_

Steam came out of Izuku's ears before he fainted, his eyes going swirly.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for him, Tamamo didn't seem to get the message, as she only clutched him tighter, reveling in the minty scent he was giving off. To her surprise, he tasted like it too, not that she was complaining.

It was when her hand started to wander to a dangerous place that she was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

She broke the kiss with a disappointed sound, turning to look at the interloper who had disturbed her _quality time _with her hubby, as Izuku's unresponsive body fell sideways onto his bed, steam still rising from his neon red face.

To her curiousity, the aggressor was some kind of Mystic Code that seemed to take the form of a wand, floating in the air.

**[I uh..., hate to interrupt you two, but there's something I need to talk to you about, Caster.]**

"Speak." Tamamo said sharply, her eyes narrowing at the strange wand as her fox ears twitched. She _clearly_ wasn't happy to be interrupted.

**[Well, here's the situation...]**

* * *

_**Systems back online...**_

**_Loading System Functions. . ._**

**_Loading User Settings. . ._**

**_Brain Activity back to 94.1%._**

**_Hormones stable._**

**_Bugs and Corrupted files have been purged. Malware has been deleted. Following files have been cleaned: 'Love? What is that?', and 'Izuku's Innocence'._**

**_Reinforcing Mental Parameters with Folder 'Hero-Related Subjects'._**

**_System User check done._**

**_All Systems Operational._**

_**Go Beyond, Izuku Midoriya!**_

Izuku stirred, blinking as he tried to regain his bearings.

He tried to run through his memories again, because he had no idea what had happened or why he had fainted.

He was sure he had used the Midoriya Family Secret Technique because he wasn't stupid enough to actually _sleep_ in a position like that.

But why? What had happened? The last thing he remembered was summoning one of his Servants, and then...

"Goshuujin-sama! You're awake!" cried a cheerful voice, before he was tackled by a pink and blue blur.

When his vision refocused, he was only inches away from golden eyes that shimmered with cheer.

Oh, _now_ he remembered what had happened.

**[Hey, Izuku. Congrats on the wedding, bro!]**

Now _that_ caused Izuku to start.

"W-w-wha?" he stuttered out, his brain trying to force him to say something while his body refused to respond.

Then something furry brushed across his arm, and he turned his gaze away to see an orange fox tail rubbing against his arm.

The moment he laid eyes on it, everything in the universe decided to fade away. Nothing seemed important anymore. Not All Might, not Emerald and his mission, not his dreams of heroism, or anything else. The only thing that was important was _petting the tail._

He _needed_ to _pet the tail._

So he _petted the tail_, running his hand along its length with the utmost delicacy.

The tail was just as just as soft and velvety as he had expected, almost like silk beneath his fingers.

What he _didn't_ expect was a sensual moan from the woman the tail was attached to, her eyes half lidded and brimming with lust.

"Mikon~! Touch me _more_, darling~!"

Steam began to escape Izuku's mouth and ears once more, and Emerald decided to intervene before Izuku fainted again. Honestly, the guy needed to stop fainting so much around women.

Then again, he probably hadn't really interacted with any females before outside of his mother, and Tamamo was a bombshell of a woman who was proving to be a little _too_ clingy. It wasn't actually that far outside the realm of expectation for him to behave that way, all things considered.

**[Caster, I understand that you're, uh... **_**overly affectionate**_**, but Master isn't used to receiving that kind of affection from women, and your behavior's kind of making him uncomfortable. Probably because he's only **_**thirteen**_**. Maybe you should give him a little space, because it's going to be a pain if you get arrested for doing **_**unspeakable things**_ **to a minor.]**

Izuku's face was positively glowing now as he desperately fought to keep his systems online, staggered by the words being thrown around.

In a moment, Tamamo blinked out of sight, reappearing a moment later at the corner of the room, her head on her knees with her ears flattened against her head and her tail lying limp on the floor. Much to the befuddlement of both boy and wand, a miniature storm cloud had sprung up above her head, raining on her gloomy form.

"***sniff*** I'm such a bad wife, not knowing such simple things..."

**[Uhh... are you oka- YOWCH!]**

Emerald floated over to the depressed Heroic Spirit, but before he could get close enough to her a stray lightning bolt came from the cloud and blasted Emerald, sending the Kaleidostick spinning away, smoking erratically.

Meanwhile, all of Izuku's heroic instincts were triggered when he saw that Tamamo seemed to be sinking further into depression, seemingly beginning to melt into the floor, which was already soaked. After all, comforting people was also one of the hallmarks of a good hero! All Might was way more popular than Endeavor not only because of his prodigious strength and his ever-present smile, but also because he actually seemed to care about the people he saved, instead of just focusing on beating down villains like the Flame Hero. Being able to bring relief to victims of disaster was just as important as fighting villains in the life of a Pro Hero.

Completely forgetting his awkwardness, Izuku walked towards her, warily eyeing the thundercloud, which rumbled but thankfully didn't blast him, and wrapped Tamamo in a hug.

"Um... It's okay, Tamamo-san. I think you just confused me for someone else. I don't think there's anything wrong with that." he said, patting her back before freezing as he just realized what he had done, the awkwardness returning in full force.

He had hugged a pretty girl of his own volition. Although calling Tamamo 'pretty' didn't really do her justice, but that wasn't the point here.

The point was that he had initiated extra-professional physical contact with a girl!

Damn it, he was just doing what All Might did on all the news bulletins and live videos he had found regarding the Symbol of Peace! But he didn't expect it to be like this!

Izuku slightly began to shake, trying to think of someway to detach himself from the foxy woman without coming off as really rude or awkward, his eyes darting to the side as his face turned red, trying to look anywhere but the teary golden orbs focused on him.

In a second, the Caster's mood took a 180 degree turn, and the storm cloud became a sun that evaporated the water off their clothes and the floor as she began to glow, a bright smile lighting up her face.

"Mikon~! Ah, Goshuujin-sama, your so sweet! But you're so silly, too! I would never mistake you for anyone else, because no one in the world is like you! I guarantee it! You're the one that accepted me, and are the man I love with all my heart!" she exclaimed cheerfully, her tail wagging as she snuggled up to him, her ears flicking as she curled up in his lap, looking up at him with a dazzling smile. "I could never forget your warmth and scent, dearest husband! I can even feel it in my dreams~"

Izuku looked like he had a really bad sunburn, because his whole body was now turning red, the temperature of his skin rising as if inflamed.

Never in his life had the poor boy imagined that he would be on the receiving end of such romantic words.

**[Wow. You really got quite the Servant, didn't you Master? But seriously, we should get down to business. I've been talking with Caster about the magic situation, and she had a few ideas about what we could do. You mind taking the stage, Tamamo-san?]**

"Hmmm~ Okay, then!" she said, springing off of him and placing a palm against his chest.

Izuku felt a pulse of foreign energy enter his body before circuit-like patterns began to glow across his body, though they were minute.

"As you know, there's not much we can do about your Magic Circuits directly." said Tamamo, her face becoming contemplative lay as she sat back on her haunches, her tail swishing as she considered all the variables. "Magic Circuits cannot increase in number or quality naturally. The next best thing would be for you to get a Magical Crest, but Magecraft and other forms of magic are practically dead in this world, as I'm told. So that isn't really much of an option either, since you don't come from a Magus Family. Formalcraft or similar magic that used the world's Mana as fuel instead of your Od might have been the way to go, but the state of magic in the environment is beyond dreadful. The Leylines are all dried up, and are far beyond restorable at this point."

"Why is their condition so bad?" asked Izuku, who had recovered from her cuddling.

She smiled at him, although her expression was tinged with sadness. "Magic might have a lot of mechanics, but at its core it is all about belief. And this World simply doesn't _believe_ in magic anymore. Ever since these 'Quirks' showed up, the power of Magecraft no doubt took a drastic pitfall. People don't believe in Miracles and Mysteries anymore, in this World of Quirks. It's not unlike the Magecraft Singularity Theory. As more and more people understand and become well-versed in Magecraft and Miracles, their power weakens drastically."

"And people essentially replicate Magecraft with their Quirks, not to mention the fact that the Quirk Factor seems to have some sort of detrimental effect on a person's Magic Circuits. So magic basically had no way of surviving in the world anymore. The only reason I can use magic is because I'm Quirkless and because Emerald draws Mana using the Second True Magic. Otherwise, since there's no Mana in this World to absorb and my Circuits aren't really anything to feel proud of, I wouldn't be able to use Maagecraft, although by Emerald's definition I'm essentially using True Magic since Emerald's power functions off of imagination." Izuku continued, scribbling furiously on a book he had produced from some unidentifiable location.

"Ah~ You're exactly right, although I'll need to do a few tests in order to be sure." said Tamamo. "But what I think we can do is implant a Magic Core in your body."

"A magical... core?" asked Izuku.

"If a Magical Circuit is like your average power plant, then a Magical Core is like a nuclear reactor, constantly generating energy that permeates throughout your body, heedless of Magic Circuits. It's something seen mainly in Phantasmal Beasts, usually in their hearts, and that is what allows them to use some natural form of magic even though they apparently don't have the Circuits to use it with."

**[I still can't believe that you can actually **_**make**_ **one, much less implant it in him. I know we talked about it, but still... that isn't something that can be done lightly. From what I know, the last time that was successfully done in recorded history was when Merlin implanted Arthur with a Dragon's Core, but I'm pretty sure that was before she was born.]**

Tamamo huffed haughtily and stuck her nose in the air.

"Of course! You're talking to a literal _goddess_. There's not much I _can't_ do, even if most of my divine powers were sealed when I became a Servant."

**[But what will it require? I'm not too big on the subject, but I know you can't just magic one out of thin air.]**

"If I'm being honest?" she said, her tail swishing. "Mostly, _time_. This is something that can take up to a month, so we'll have to make do until then."

"I guess that's better than nothing." said Izuku. "Can you teach me magic later?"

"Mikon~! Anything for you, Goshuujin-sama!"

Before Tamamo could pounce on him again, they heard the door opening, and Izuku went outside when he heard his mother struggling with the groceries.

"Here mom, let me."

"Thank you, honey."

Tamamo's ears perked up.

"Mother?" she asked herself, before her tail stiffened.

The woman outside was her mother-in-law! She just _had_ to meet her. What was she like? Was she kind and warm like her Izuku or was she the cold and stern type?

She was about to dash outside when Emerald rammed into her from the side, pulling on her kimono.

**[Lady Inko doesn't know about us yet! Don't compromise us, Caster. I'm sure you can get acquainted later, when Master is comfortable telling his mother about us!]**

Tamamo huffed.

Why did things have to be so difficult?

**[And while Master's away, let me show you the Japanese legal codes regarding marriage and what you can and **_**can't**_ **do to minors...]**

A few minutes later, both Midoriyas ran into the room when they heard a horrified scream, only to find one of All Might's greatest rescues playing on Izuku's laptop, the only evidence towards the culprit being the edge of a Class Card peeking out from under the bed.

Chuckling at her son's fanatical obsession with All Might, Inko went off to make dinner.

As soon as she left his drawer opened on its own and Emerald flew out.

**[Man, that was a close one. Luckily you have things that involve screaming in great amounts on your computer.]**

"What was that scream?" asked Izuku curiously.

**[Oh, that? Caster found out she would have to wait five more years to legally marry you.]**

* * *

Jeanne's eyes opened, and she found herself in a white hallway, outside of a room marked with the French standard she had on her flag.

She had no idea how she had gotten there, because she had been in a state of rest to conserve power for when her new Master would need it next, which was basically the Class Card equivalent of sleeping. It was necessary due to the situation of the World's lack of magic.

Looking down the hallway, she saw that many of the rooms were sealed off by large yellow and black ribbons, their doors faded as if they were flickering out of existence.

However, three doors apart from her own were normal, one depicting a British crest, another with a Japanese insignia and a third with what appeared to be a sun on it.

Before she could contemplate further on what this place was and how she got here, the door with the British crest opened, revealing a young man with white hair and violet eyes, wearing a purple outfit with armor plating attached to it, reminiscent of a knight's garb.

"Ah, Jeanne d'Arc, I presume? A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Galahad, Knight of the Round Table, a fellow Servant of Lord Izuku under the Class of Shielder." he said, with a polite smile and a bow.

"A-ah." she stuttered, embarrassed by the formality. "I'm Jeanne d'Arc, Class Ruler. It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Galahad."

He gave a small smile, and turned his attention towards the other two doors.

As if on cue, there were twin flashes of light before Okita and Tamamo manifested, the latter drooping as if she'd been told her family had been murdered. She quickly snapped out of it when they began to take note of their surroundings.

"Where are we?" asked Okita, her eyes narrowing as she placed one hand on her sword.

"This place is known as the Second Archive." said Galahad, walking down the hall, gesturing for the three women to follow him, which they did. "You can say it's a world connected to the Deck of Heroes. Our Spirit Origins have been linked to this place through the Deck of Heroes, so that even upon our defeat in battle, we do not return to the Throne and instead regenerate here so that our Master can call upon us once more."

"But what are we doing here?" asked Jeanne.

"This is actually where we go whenever we are not being used. The synchronization process took longer for the three of you since Master's sealing process had to be applied to you in order to remove your corruption. I've been here since the beginning since I was the only card to remain. You'll find that you can monitor events in the real world from your rooms if you see fit. This place is kind of like a waiting room of sorts. We'll be transported out when we are summoned or when Master directly uses our power." said Galahad, before stopping in front of what looked like a conference room.

"I see. So this is where we end up when Master is not using us. But where have you taken us? This doesn't look like one of the rooms." said Okita, something that Jeanne agreed with while Tamamo continued to sulk over something they weren't aware of.

"Yeah, let me go back to the rooms! I want to see Goshuujin-sama..." she said.

"Don't you feel it?" asked Galahad cryptically. "How this place calls to us?"

Jeanne took a moment to stop and feel, and to her surprise, she _did_ feel a sort of compulsion, now that the other Servant had mentioned it. It almost felt like the room _was_ calling to them, beckoning them to come in.

It was actually kind of off-putting.

Okita pushed the doors open, content with leading the charge.

They followed her in, a little more cautiously, but to their surprise, all they saw was a small orb on a large table.

There were two words emblazoned on the base of the orb;

**DREAM CYCLE**

"Dream Cycle?" muttered the saint.

"I see. This is a highly unorthodox method of initiating the Dream Cycle between us and our Master." said Galahad, moving closer to the orb, brimming with curiosity. "So shall we? I don't think we really have anything else to do as Master is asleep right now."

With general signs of agreement, all four Heroic Spirits placed their hands on the orb.

The device glowed green, and then the world fell away.

* * *

_"Why are you being so mean Kacchan? You're making him cry!" asked a crying Izuku, who could have been no older than four or five years old._

_They saw a child Izuku standing protectively in front of a crying boy on the ground. The screen shifted to show three boys, with a young boy with Ash blond spiky hair and red eyes with his fist near his hand and small explosions coming off, and the two boys in the back activating their quirks of wings as well as extendable fingers._

_"If you keep on hurting him…..I'll stop you MYSELF!" declared the younger Izuku as he took on a fighting stance._

_Bakugo's face twisted into a cruel smirk and he said, "You wanna pretend to be a hero? You don't stand a chance without a quirk, Deku!", punctuating the last sentence with a small blast. As the three boys launched themselves at him, Izuku stood determined, with tears in his eyes._

_**"All men are not created equal, This was the reality I learned about society at the age of four... And that was my first and last setback." he said, as the scene shifted to child Izuku being beat up by Bakugo and his goons.**_

* * *

_A young Midoriya was holding an All Might action figure in his hand while jumping at his mothers' feet. "C'mon Mom! It's computer time!" _

_They were in his room, which was filled from top to bottom with All Might posters and paraphernalia, young Midoriya is shown rocking back and forth in his chair, urging his mother to go faster. She remarked that he might've added ten thousand views to the video himself._

_**'The video I loved was an old one. Disaster footage from a long time ago. But it was also the Debut of the Greatest Hero ever.' **_

_People were seen exclaiming about the number of people the hero had already saved. Young Midoriya's eyes lightened up in anticipation. A loud booming laughter was heard and All Might was seen carrying people in his hands and on his back. Midoriya practically glowed at seeing his idol, cheering alongside everyone else. All Might showed his signature smile and said his evergreen phrase, causing Midoriya to get blown away by this, the scene resonating in his heart with a force that he could not understand._

_"Ha ha ha!" All Might's uproarious laugh echoed from the speakers as Child Izuku stared at the screen, entranced as All Might reassured everyone by saying his signature catchphrase._

_**Izuku smiled broadly, exclaiming how he was going to become just like All Might when he got his Quirk.**_

* * *

_"Sorry kid, it's not going to happen." stated a doctor nonchalantly, completely ignoring the fact that he had casually crushed a kid's dream, with an obviously distraught kid Izuku as he even dropped his precious All Might action figure in shock. His mother commented on the fact that most of his fellow classmates already manifested their quirks and worriedly inquired if something was wrong with him._

_"When Quirks came into being, humans evolved to become more streamlined, and lost a toe joint." he said, before showing the family an X-ray. "As your son has two joints in his left pinky, it will be impossible for him to gain a Quirk, just like 20% of the population."_

_**"The fact of the matter, is that Izuku Midoriya is Quirkless."**_

* * *

_Izuku's mother was looking sadly at him, who was watching the All Might video again. _

_"See that mom…..there's always a smile on his face no matter how bad things get." Izuku said, his voice cracking up. _

_"Even when things seem impossible, he never gives up." He turned around to face his mother and the woman teared up at her son's face. He was pointing at the screen with a big, watery smile, and tears were rolling down his face._

_"Do you think….I can be a hero too?"_

_She walked towards him and enveloped him in a hug, apologizing to him. _

_"I-I'm sorry, Izuku!"_

_**'Mom, that's not what I needed you to say. Couldn't you see, my world was crumbling? There was only one thing I wanted to hear.' **_

* * *

_The years slowly passed, as Izuku was ostracized from his peers, bullied daily and relentlessly._

_"That's Midoriya?"_

_"I heard he's Quirkless. What a loser."_

_"You're nothing Deku. You're worthless. Just a pebble beneath my feet. So don't forget that, you Quirkless nerd!"_

_"That Quirkless idiot wants to become a Hero? He's obviously delusional."_

_"You really want to be a Hero so badly, Deku? If so, then why don't you take a swan dive off the roof and hope you get reborn with a Quirk in your next life?"_

_Even through all the torment he underwent, he still smiled, and tried his very best to help people._

_After that fateful day and the oath he had sworn at the age of nine, he traveled throughout Mustafu, helping people in any way he could, from helping the elderly cross the street to walking people's dogs for them when they were unavailable._

_**Because at his core, Izuku Midoriya couldn't ignore the cries of those in need, even if he didn't have the power to help them.**_

_The funny thing was that, unknown to him, his efforts hadn't been in vain. Slowly, a majority of the people around town greeted him with a smile on their faces, often giving him gifts such as free food or even words of encouragement and advice. It was a far cry from his peers and the people who ran his school._

_As he continued to change the lives of people, such as when he began to translate ancient relics alongside Professor Washi and his students, he hadn't realized, that he, a Quirkless nobody, had done something amazing; he had worked his way into the hearts of the people, and had proven his worth._

_He had met Mirio and Tamaki similarly, when he had saved the latter from a weight that had fallen off of a rack in the gym. Two boys who would later become his bests friends, the only lights in his world of darkness._

_He hadn't sat back and wallowed in despair. Even through the most violent of bullying, he had continued to move forward, even as the darkness creeped behind him, acquiring more and more skills as he walked down his chosen bath, changing the hearts and minds of the people around him by virtue of his own merit._

_**Even if Izuku Midoriya was really just a Quirkless nerd, as a good deal of the people he interacted with wasted no time saying, he had proven to the people of his town that he wasn't useless. And they in turn, barring those blinded by scorn, knew that the child who tried to help everyone would become something great in the future.**_

* * *

The orb's green glow faded as they found themselves back in the room.

For a moment, none of the Servants said anything, processing what they had just witnessed about their Master's life and character. They had seen every moment of their Master's life, from the moment he had become a coherent human being.

Then Galahad bowed his head in both sorrow and an _overwhelming_ amount of respect.

Okita's grip on her katana was making her knuckles go white, her teeth gritted in anger.

Tamamo smiled shakily, the memories of their Master hitting her a little too close to home, but only reaffirming that he was the perfect husband for her.

Jeanne had clasped her hands in prayer, though tears rolled down her cheeks. How could she _not_ feel this way? Her Master had suffered in a way no child ever should, bullied and ostracized for something so stupid, and had still found the strength to move forward in a world that didn't want him. People had considered her lack of hatred towards those who executed her the true mark of her sainthood, but wasn't what she had just witnessed even more amazing?

**Izuku Midoriya wasn't anyone special.** He hadn't heard the voice of God, nor did he possess Divine blood. He hadn't pulled a sword from stone. He hadn't bathed in the blood of a dragon. He was a normal boy, a little _too_ normal if one considered the world that they had been summoned too, and yet he had tolerated overwhelming amounts of abuse at the hands of his own peers, his own people, since the tender age at four. He had been suffering for nearly a decade, since the tender age of 4, his only relief coming as a result of his own good deeds. Yet, he bore not even a _hint_ of bitterness and hatred towards his fellow humans, and would drop everything to save even those people who had tormented him ruthlessly.

Even if he had experienced nothing but pain and loneliness, he had still managed to retain his purity and his ideals. Had he been born in her time, Jeanne knew within her heart that he would have become nothing less than a saint in his own right.

Because her Master was just _that_ amazing. She could feel the admiration swell within her, and felt blessed to have met such a pious Master.

"How dare they..." growled Okita, the Shinsengumi's captain baring her teeth in fury. "How could they do that to a _child_?! Have they no shame?! Why does Master have to _earn_ their kindness?!"

The Japanese warrior only had two things that she loved above all else; sweets and children. Seeing Izuku stumble through the early parts of his life as someone dismissed so callously and abandoned by the adults he was in contact with, barring his mother, while they enabled the other children to make his life miserable had stoked a burning anger in her veins.

That kind of isolation and bullying wasn't something that was in any way acceptable; children weren't responsible for the mistakes of others. But what really ticked her off was the fact that her Master hadn't actually done anything to warrant such treatment; only the circumstances of his birth were what led to his long, miserable tenure at school.

It was with a heavy heart that she acknowledged her Master, because there was no reason that the green-haired boy had to suffer so much and still prove himself the better man by coming out on top.

"Ah, Goshuujin-sama, you're truly more amazing than I thought..." said Tamamo, as she wiped her own tears.

He _knew_. The pain of being alone, the pain of being rejected by those around you. He was just like her.

No. That was incorrect.

He was _better_ than her. Even if she had never found love and acceptance, she wasn't actually tormented the same way he had been for about a decade, at least until the end of her life, when she had died. She had lived in luxury before that, renowned as a peerless beauty and the Emperor's favorite. He had no such things, and had _earned_ every shred of the respect he had gotten in his later years.

She could feel her love for him growing further with everything she learned about the shy, awkward teen. She cursed the country of Japan bitterly for forcing her to delay her wedding plans by five years. That meant five more years of having to defend her Master's purity from all the other women who would no doubt crowd around him like ants on a buffet.

But also...

She bared her fangs and snarled as she thought about the one she now considered her worst enemy.

Katsuki Bakugo.

If she ever saw the little piece of sh*t so much as _breathe_ funny in her darling's direction, she was castrating him. And maybe she could throw in a few curses afterwards, just for security reasons.

"Truly, I am blessed to have a new King as great as my last..." said Galahad, his expression solemn, though the edges of his mouth were curled in a smile.

Now he understood what had compelled him to remain in the Deck, allowing him to resist the strange allure they had all felt when the Deck was first activated. It was because his Master had a sense of Justice that far surpassed his own. That was what allowed him to remain close to him, as Izuku Midoriya was someone even his former King would have acknowledged as one among the worthiest of men.

He had no doubt in his mind that had Izuku been alive during his time, he would also have been a Knight of the Round Table just like him, because the potential for greatness that the boy possessed would not have allowed him to fade into obscurity. Even if the boy hadn't become a Master and gotten himself embroiled in this conflict, he was sure that his new King would have risen to greatness regardless.

His admiration for his new King rivaled that which he had for his old one.

And of course, after careful deliberation, there was one thing he was certain of;

"I think it is safe to say that Master is an incarnation of the Lord, a Divine Spirit that somehow managed to outlast the Age of Gods." he said solemnly, fully believing every word he had spoken.

"That sounds true, Sir Galahad." said Jeanne, who had her hands clasped in reverence. "Only the Lord himself would have the kind of patience our Master possesses."

"As a Divine Spirit myself, I can vouch for that! The feeling Goshuujin-sama gives off is no less than a God's. But that's to be expected of my darling, of course. He is superior to all other men." agreed Tamamo wholeheartedly, her tail wagging in glee.

She got a look from Jeanne at that last statement, but the Saint didn't say anything.

"I think... Master is someone I would follow to the gates of Hell itself." said Okita finally, her expression resolute. "I will dedicate this sword of mine to serving him as best as I can as long as I am a Servant in his employ."

The other three nodded in consent, feeling the same way, and the four of them swore to themselves that they would not once falter in any task given to them by Izuku.

Because that was the extent of the respect and devotion they shared towards their Master.

* * *

Izuku woke up with a start.

For a moment he didn't open his eyes, trying to understand just what he had been dreaming about, because what he had seen was far beyond his imagination.

**Dreaming about leading a horde of fox-headed Knights against a Japanese castle full of French ninjas could _not_ be normal.**

The wierdest part was that it all felt so _real_, as if he was there and had experienced it firsthand, which only made it more awkward.

Oh well, he could ponder more on that subject later. Now it was time to get ready for his current Sunday activities. First, he had to finish up the last bits of trash at Dagobah and then he was going to meet up with Mirio and Tamaki to go bowling, and then he planned go take the Heroic Spirits around town, both to become more familiar with them and just to show them the outside World, because it had been _centuries_ since they were around, meaning many things had changed. So he might as well get a head start, since it was a busy day ahead.

His hand moved around a bit, trying to find his alarm clock and shut it off before it activated, since he had woken up before it, until it grabbed something round and soft, which he gave an involuntary squeeze as he fumbled around, typing to find the off switch on the 'alarm clock'.

A loud moan caused his brain to come to a screeching halt, as he was drawn in towards a warm body by slender arms.

"Oh, Goshuujin-sama, you're so _forward~!_" Tamamo moaned, breathing heavily as her ears twitched and her tail wrapped around him, pulling him closer as she rubbed against him.

The second Izuku closed his eyes again, they shot wide open as he let out a strangled gasp, due to seeing Tamamo cuddling with him in bed, wearing lingerie that definitely did _not_ come from ancient Japan, and he realized with horror that he was actually groping one of her breasts, thinking it was his alarm clock, causing his whole face to explode into another blush redder than a tomato.

"AAAAAAHHHH?!" he screamed, jumping out of his bed and falling on the floor. This made Tamamo wake up fully, causing her to sit up and yawn while stretching out her arms and tail a bit a bit.

"Oh, good morning Goshuujin-sama, did you have a nice nap?" Tamamo asked with a gentle smile, although it had a mischievous undertone to it.

"Oh, good morning to you too, Tamamo-san, and yes I did have a-wait a minute, that isn't important right now!" Izuku said, his voice turning panicked towards the end.

"What are you doing in room?" Izuku asked hurriedly, his blush subsiding somewhat as he withdrew his hand immediately, causing Tamamo to pout.

It wasn't her fault. He had such _gentle_ hands.

Izuku didn't realize that his Servants could summon themselves, but he also realized at he didn't really care. He trusted them, and it wouldn't really be a problem to him, unless get let themselves get seen by someone, especially his mother.

"What kind of question is that, Goshuujin-sama?" asked Tamamo, looking scandalized. "As your wife, it is my duty to be by your side at all times. Now come, I wish to experience one of these 'showers' with you."

"W-w-wife?! S-s-s-showers?!" cried Izuku, steam beginning to waft off of him as he exploded into another atomic blush, especially when Tamamo began to drag him towards the bathroom while simultaneously beginning to shed her clothes, causing him to begin panicking as he struggled to get free.

Thankfully, Jeanne summoned herself and dragged the foxy lady off of him, and he escaped while she began to scold the other Servant about the proper decorum and dignity one should maintain around others.

Though as he locked the bathroom door behind him, Izuku couldn't shake the sinking feeling that this was his life now.

* * *

**And that's all, folks! I hope you guys enjoyed the character interactions and the explanation of Tamamo's new found love for Izuku. It seemed logical for me, so I went with it. Funny how the fanfiction world doesn't remember the laws behind marriage and sex in these stories.**

**It may only be a matter of time before his Servants found a religion in his name, so Izuku has to be careful from now. The reason they all resoect him so much is because the torture Izuku went through canonically is something that he conquered, which is amazing. He didn't become vengeful and bitter like Shinsou, but decided to never give up and move forward, which is something I admire. Some of you may believe that its nothing special compared to tragedies like what Cu and Seigfried went through, but I disagree, because Izuku, like I said earlier, is just an average guy, not possessing some great lineage or a magic sword. The mental strength required to resist that level of bullying is nothing to scoff at. As a former victim myself, I know full well about those kinds of matters.**

**Poor Izuku. His women problems are only just beginning.**

**Oh, and next chapter or the one after it, Bakugo finally gets what's coming to him. I'm redeeming him in my other story, so I'm going to tear him apart in this one.**

**I don't have much else to say, so I thank you all for your support and bid you a good day. PM or Review if you have any questions or constructive/supportive comments.**

**I hope this story gets a TvTropes one day. That's basically the Fanfiction equivalent of the Throne of Heroes.**

**Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! It is I, the phoenix, FINALLY back with an ACTUAL chaoter of Event Horizon!**

**First of all, I'd like to apologize for not updating this for so long, but due to all the flamers on this and on Radix Point, mainly just the Fate elitists who hamstring me for every Nasuverse rule I accidentally break because I'm just an anime boy who never read the VNs, I sort of put this story on hiatus.**

**However, recently, I managed to toughen up and said to myself 'screw those guys, I can write what I want as long as I stay true to my own ideals' and got cracking on this and Radix Point once again.**

**So now I'm back writing Event Horizon, and in this chapter we finally get some progress towards One For All, and a slight glimpse into Izuku's character and maturity. **

**This chapter is actually so big that I had to separate it into two halves because I couldn't cram everything I wanted to. Even split in two, this chapter is a solid 8k of actual content. **

**The Servant interactions are in part 2, unfortunately. **

**Hopefully, it won't take me as long as it did to get this chapter out because my engines are running again.**

**Anyways, I think I've taken up enough of your time, and I bet you guys are excited to get back to Event Horizon, so without further ado, let's get on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Master and Servant [Part 1]**

* * *

**[You know that the Servants would willingly help you with this, right? Especially Jeanne and Galahad.]**

"Yeah, I know." said Izuku, grunting as he pushed an old refrigerator off the beach. Having gotten it out of the immediate vicinity, he wiped his forehead with a towel that Emerald gave him, and got right back to work, clearing the trash from Dagobah Municipal Beach.

"But I don't want to inconvenience anyone. This is something I can do on my own. Besides, with today, I'll be done."

He'd been at it for months now, and while it had been slow going at first, the strength he'd gained from training alongside Mirio and Tamaki had helped him pull through.

In only six months, he'd been able to clean up the entire beach.

Why had he done this seemingly random task?

Well, six months back, he'd been playing chess with Mr. Kaito, an old man who ran a bakery at the edge of Mustafu.

The man had remarked that Dagobah was once a beautiful place, until illegal littering and pollution had turned the place into a veritable _junkyard_.

It was tragic, and Izuku had been affected by the sheer _heartbreak_ in the seventh year old man's voice.

Mr. Kaito had apparently met his wife there, and had a deep connection to Dagobah, which was why he could only look on sadly as the beach which he had nothing but fond memories of got spoiled by human wastefulness.

The water currents around that area moved in such a way that any trash dumped into the waters would end up there, and countless people had taken advantage of that fact when illegally dumping their trash, leading to the beach going from a serene tourist spot to a scrap-infested wasteland.

The elderly man had remarked wanting to see the beach in its old condition one more time, just as Izuku trapped him in a checkmate and won, for the very first time since they had started playing.

Izuku had gone home that day, happy that his level of skill had risen to the point where he could defeat a former _Nationalist_, but Mr. Kaito's story about Dagobah made him think deeply about what it meant to be a Hero.

_Did being a Hero only constitute beating up Villains?_

No, it didn't. That was a question he had already asked himself and answered.

There were still many evils in society that even All Might's fists couldn't smash, such as racism, pollution, and the like. Those were issues that couldn't be solved by the Pro Heroes of today, who focused on more flashy acts like defeating Villains. It was up to the people to solve those problems on their own, because no Quirk in the World could fix them.

It was just a fact of life, and something that bothered Izuku.

It led him to wonder why humans were their own worst enemy.

Anyways, he had resolved to do something about the state of Dagobah, as it was something he _could_ do in order to help people, which meant it was something he _would_ do, if only so that the beach's former beauty could be seen once again.

...

...

...

_But Mr. Kaito had died the day after their final chess match._

Izuku had been devastated at the loss of the kind old man, especially since he'd died with that ache in his heart, the ache of never seeing the same Dagobah he'd once met his loved one at.

He had died without his final desire being fulfilled.

Izuku had started clearing the beach the moment he returned home that day, determined to clean Dagobah so that Mr. Kaito's spirit could rest easy, and so that people who had similarly held such fond memories of the place could once again gaze upon the beach in all its splendor.

It was what a Hero _should_ do, and a service for the community.

And now, after six months, he was nearly finished.

Maybe, once he'd finished pushing that old laundry machine off the beach, the old man would be at peace somewhere in the afterlife.

**[I guess that's true. Still, it's impressive that you cleaned up a beach of this size by yourself in such a short period of time. I've seen the pictures of this place before you got to work, and I can't believe this pristine beach is the same place.]**

"Mhm." said Izuku, walking over to the last piece of trash, the laundry machine.

He put his hands on his lips and allowed himself a small smile.

With this, Dagobah Beach would once again be trash-free.

"With a little bit of effort, even an average person like me can do something good for the community." he said pleasantly, as he prepared to push the washing machine.

_**[Average? Yeah right. You're like a freaking shonen protagonist.]**_ muttered Emerald to himself, floating in the air near Izuku as he began to push.

After a few minutes, Izuku finally pushed the washing machine over to the other pieces of trash that he had grouped together at the very edge of the beach.

He wiped himself off again and drunk a bottle of water, before plopping down on a bench nearby, and asking a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"Emerald-san, how did people learn to summon Heroic Spirits?"

It was something that had been buggin him. Since he'd accidentally lost all the Class Cards and bonded to Emerald, he'd been hearing the term Servant being used over and over again, even by himself sometimes, to describe the Heroic Spirits who were now contracted to him.

What he wanted to know was _how_?

Who had developed the process of calling forth a Heroic Spirit of legend from the Throne of Heroes and binding him or her to themselves like a common familiar?

How had the Mages of mankind achieved that power?

**[Hmm... now that's a good question.] **

Emerald floated around to rest in his lap, tapping his faceplate with one of his wings, collecting his thoughts.

**[To understand the Heroic Spirit Summoning Ritual, we need to first talk about the event that... **_**popularized**_ **it, so to speak; the Murder Death Ki-** _**I mean**_**, the Holy Grail War.]**

Izuku raised an eyebrow. What had Emerald been about to call it?

**[Basically, the vanilla Holy Grail War was an event that took place every 60 years in the town of Fuyuki, right here in Japan. It was created by the heads of three prominent Magus Families; the Einzbern, the Toshaka, and the Maikiri, later known as the Matou in 1970. What they basically advertised to the wider Moonlit (Supernatural) World was; **_**'Hey, we've got this Holy Grail over here in Japan that can grant your dearest wishes! So if you see any red markings on your hands, and you haven't been to a tattoo parlor recently, then grab yourself a Servant and come on over to sunny Fuyuki, where we're arranging a city-wide Death Battle to see who can grab the Holy Grail and get their wishes granted!'**_**]**

"Well, that could only end well." said Izuku sarcastically, something that was out of character for him, massaging his temples.

He had a _pretty good idea_ he knew where this was going.

And it wasn't in a good direction.

**[You said it. The Holy Grail War was a Battle Royale that took place between 7 Master-Servant pairs. The pair to kill all the others would be the winner and get the Holy Grail. The Masters were selected by the Grail beforehand, and would manifest Command Seals. Then, they would Summon a Heroic Spirit, who would be bound to them by a contract, symbolized by the Command Seals, which allowed up to three absolute order a Master could levy on their Servant, whether the Heroic Spirit liked it or not.]**

"That's horrible!" said Izuku, aghast. "They're basically _enslaving_ mankind's greatest heroes and forcing them to fight and die for their own selfish gain! How could _anyone_ be okay with this?!"

He'd felt awkward enough by having Heroic Spirits call him Master, but to think that they were usually _enslaved_ and forced to do their Master's bidding was downright revolting.

He was glad he didn't have any Command Seals. But it reinforced the fact that he had to interact more with his Servants. They were _people_, not tools, weapons or slaves. He couldn't be like those other Masters out there. They were assisting him in his quest to gather all the Class Cards, and were contracted to him, meaning that he had an obligation to look after them in turn.

Emerald let out a snort at Izuku's statement.

**[You'd be surprised how few people cared about that in the grand scheme of getting their deepest desires turned into reality. Mages, especially the modern ones, are amoral bastards who will cast aside their own friends and family in order to learn the secrets of Magecraft, and reach the Root, the origin of all things. In Magus society, things such as human experimentation are commonplace and only frowned upon when it threatens to expose the existence of the supernatural to the wider World. To them, enslaving a Heroic Spirit wasn't even a moral conundrum; in fact, many were eager to do it, hoping to meet Heroes from times long past and possibly learn their secrets. But still, it's not as one-sided as you might believe, even if you're right in believing that it isn't right in any way. You see, the Heroic Spirits get a sales pitch of their own too; **_**'Come over and serve a Master, kill all the other Servants, and get your wishes granted'**_**.]**

At this, Izuku's eyes widened. Things were starting to make a little more sense now.

After all, Command Seals could only give _three_ orders, and could probably be worked around in some manner or another.

So why would a Heroic Spirit even bother serving somebody, especially people like the Magi of the Moonlit World?

The answer; _because they got something out of it too._

If a wish was so valuable to _them_, people who had never truly experienced anything closely resembling adventure and hardship, then how much more valuable would it be for people like Heracles or Karna, who'd lived lives full of misfortune and tragedy?

**[Many Heroes died with regrets, so this was like a second chance for them to right the wrongs that they may have committed and fulfill any wishes they had when they were alive. Considering the various Heroic Spirits out there, a lot of them had a reason to participate in the Holy Grail War. Some, like Tamamo, just want to live again and maybe find someone to love and be loved by, while others, like King Arthur, want to change their legends and reach a happier ending. The desires varied, but the Heroic Spirits were **_**willing**_ **to participate in the Holy Grail War, barring a few exceptions, even if it meant lowering themselves to serve Masters.]**

That was food for thought, but for Izuku, it didn't change the fact that the whole _premise_ of the Holy Grail War was both horrifyingly logical and irrationally messed up.

He also realized that the Deck of Heroes altered this process slightly, making it so that Servants could only be summoned if they felt like it.

It was characterized by the ability to summon themselves even without him calling them. When he called upon their power, it was more like a request than a command in his case, which they could choose to answer if they were agreeable.

Even the Class Card of the Heroic Spirit in question would go inert if they didn't want to assist him.

Which also made Izuku realize that the Heroic Spirits that were currently working with him were doing it while getting nothing for their trouble.

_There was no Holy Grail to grant their wishes here._

The way it looked right now, the Heroic Spirits were kind of like his unpaid interns.

That thought made him queasy.

Any good relationship required effort from all the involved parties, which meant he had to offer something to the table as well. Even if they didn't complain or ask anything, Izuku wouldn't feel right just leaving them be like that.

He had to do something about it, but _what_?

What could he, a common nobody, _possibly_ give them in return for their assistance?

**[Hey, don't feel bad.] **said Emerald, whacking him lightly on the head with one wing. **[I honestly don't think any Heroic Spirit under your command will find a problem with you as their Master, even with no Holy Grail in sight. Even if the Servants you have now are all people who are rather amicable and easy to get along with, something you won't always see, you're not the kind of person who would elicit those kind of feelings from them. You won't understand it now, but you will in time; that much, I guarantee.]**

Izuku still felt tense, but there was nothing he could do now but listen to Emerald, so he just decided to let it go for the time being.

_But he still would do everything in his power to treat the Heroic Spirits right. _

That was a non-negotiable promise.

**[Anyways, getting back on track, a Master-Servant relationship is something extremely important for the Holy Grail War, because a Master and a Servant who aren't compatible or cannot get along won't get very far. Masters have to be mindful to cater to their Servant's specific needs and personality quirks. You could say, although the Servant is the inferior party in this relationship, there are still a lot of responsibilities that fall on the Masters, but I'm thinking that, you being you, you've already figured that part out, so I won't talk about it anymore. So we should talk more about the Servants themselves along with their summoning, which are what you want to know about.]**

Emerald hummed to himself for a moment, before speaking once more.

**[I'll spare you the technical explanations on Class Containers and the like for now, since it isn't important, but basically, Servants are are summoned into one of seven basic Classes, which I've already told you about; Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. Extra Classes may rarely be summoned, although the Ruler Class is only summoned as a mediator for the War to prevent people from breaking the rather loose rules, since Rulers like Jeanne are people who have no wish for the Grail. Anyways, the Summoning is only possible thanks to the Holy Grail supporting the Masters, otherwise it wouldn't work due to e massive amount of magical power required, which is why no Heroic Spirits are seen running around in the period between the Grail Wars, once again, with a few exceptions, but those cases are **_**far**_ **from the norm. Anyways, when a Servant is killed, their soul is absorbed by the Lesser Grail, which is usually the Einzbern participant, and-]**

"Wait, the Holy Grail is a _person_?!" asked Izuku in shock.

**[Well, yes and no. First of all, the Holy Grail in this scenario is not the same one from legend, but is actually a man-made structure that was created in the pretense of being a wish-granting machine. It is divided into the Greater Grail, which is its main body, in a manner of speaking, and sort of like an altar to summon the actual Grail, and the Lesser Grail, which is like a storage tank for the souls of the defeated Heroic Spirits. Until now, the Lesser Grail has always been a person as far as my data banks go, so I can't really answer otherwise. Anyways, the energy from the defeated Heroic Spirits is used to call down the actual Grail and then grant the victor's wish, before it disappears and goes into hibernation for the next 60 years, building up magical energy and resetting the cycle.]**

"The Lesser Grail also dies in the process, right?" said Izuku, glaring at the ground.

Emerald hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to answer.

**[Unfortunately, yes. As the Heroic Spirit Death Toll increases, the Lesser Grail's body condition starts to deteriorate rapidly, and most die only days into the War. The Lesser Grail Unit still remains functional even after the body has died, and eventually does its business before terminating, requiring a new Lesser Grail to be present for the next War. According to my data banks, there was only **_**one**_ **who was a special case, but that was because she wasn't born to be the Lesser Grail like her predecessors, but was later modified to become one. She did die, however, but it is theorized that saving her could have been possible, even if extremely difficult.]**

"H-how _barbaric_." said Izuku, trembling with rage. "This whole War, just the concept of enslaving a Hero and condemning an innocent person to death, the needless bloodshed; it's just so _wrong_! The more I hear about it, the more I realize just how _awful_ it truly is! Is _this_ what Heroic Spirits were meant to be summoned for?!"

He put his face in his hands as he tried to calm down, knowing that getting worked up about the matter wasn't going to help him. He was getting too emotional for something that was no longer a thing in his World anymore.

**[That's what I was about to tell you; it **_**isn't**_**. The Holy Grail War, which you're completely right about by the way, was the first time Heroic Spirit Summoning was done in **_**recorded history**_**. However, the Holy Grail War was not the origin of the Heroic Spirit Summoning Ritual. In fact, the Ritual used in the Holy Grail Wars is a bastardized version, twisted to be used for selfish means. While the evidence is still scanty, it appears the Ritual was actually meant to summon seven Heroic Spirits of incredible power... to fight an **_**equally powerful **_**threat. That is the true nature of the Heroic Spirit Summoning Ritual, and that of Servants; they are meant to be guardians who answer the call to protect humanity. To be honest, you're actually using them for a reason closer to their **_**intended**_ **purpose than most other Masters.]**

In the end, the answer to his initial question was a rather simple one, all in all, one that made a great deal of sense.

"One more thing; nobody has ever actually won the Holy Grail War, right?" he asked.

It was a sneaking suspicion he had the moment he'd heard about the War's premise. Some things were _too good_ to be true, and there _had_ to be some sort of catch

Emerald laughed at the question.

**[As far as I know? Nope. Not even one. There's a bunch of reasons for that, especially since the whole War was just a trap to begin with, but none of them are relevant right now. Fuyuki is gone, and there is no way a Holy Grail War could **_**possibly**_ **take place in your World anymore due to the collapse of Magecraft in the present Age. As far as we're concerned, the Holy Grail War is just a figment of a past that has long since ceased being relevant.]**

Fuyuki...

That name sounded _familiar_.

Izuku took out his smartphone, and opened one of his folders, scanning through some information before his eyes widened.

"No way..." he said.

**[What is it?] **asked Emerald, floating out of Izuku's lap to take a look at the screen before he froze in place, the small emeralds that made up his eyes growing comically larger. **[I don't believe it...]**

You see, the reason they were so shocked was because the document Izuku had pulled up on his phone was an old construction record from about a century ago, right around Mustafu's creation.

Mustafu was the name given to the city built over the ruins of an old one, which was almost completely razed to the ground in a mysterious incident.

The name of that destroyed city... was _Fuyuki_.

break

Izuku and Emerald eventually got up, both of them deep in thought over the recent revelation.

Mustafu was once Fuyuki City, the site of the Holy Grail War.

The Deck of Heroes and Emerald had mysteriously made their way here, and a strange reaction had caused the Class Cards to be spread out across the Mirror Dimension, with Mustafu once again being the epicenter.

Could this all be _connected_ somehow?

It was impossible, from a logical standpoint, considering that magic was now practically _dead_, but Izuku couldn't help but wonder if the incidents were more than just a coincidence.

After all, it wasn't just the supernatural; Mustafu had other things that made it unique. U.A. High School had been built in the city, numerous corporations and the Endeavour Agency also set up shop in the quaint little city.

He shook his head, as if swatting an annoying fly.

Becoming a conspiracy theorist wouldn't help anyone.

He looked at all the trash he had rounded up, and prepared to haul it off to the Mustafu Landfill, where they should have gone in the first place. It was literally down the street, so it wasn't too much of a hassle.

Plus, he now got to see the beach as it was before, serene and sparkling, which lightened his mood considerably and made him wish Mr. Kaito could be at ease now.

He smiled fondly, thinking about the old baker, before he was drawn out of his thoughts by Emerald tugging on his shirt.

**[Izuku, someone's coming!] **hissed the Kaleidostick, retracting his handle and disappearing deep into Izuku's right pocket.

"Excuse me, young man." came a voice from behind him, and Izuku turned to see a rather tall man who, in his honest opinion, looked like a skeleton with skin.

His eyes were strange too, with black sclera that bordered bright blue eyes, something Izuku realized was no doubt a side effect of surgery, and he had no eyebrows, youth he had long blonde hair, with two bangs extended in front of him like goat horns.

His frame was sharp and angular, and he had a long neck. He was dressed in a white shirt and khaki cargo pants that seemed at least _five_ sizes too big.

Though he didn't really stand out, mainly thanks to the wide variety of shapes and sizes that humans could take in this Age of Quirks, he was still certainly extraordinary.

Strangely enough, the man seemed to have a visible _presence_, not unlike one of his Heroic Spirits, something which threw him for a loop.

"Can I help you sir?" asked Izuku kindly.

"Are you the person who cleaned up this beach?" he asked curiously, looking around at the newly cleared coastline in slight awe.

Huh, it appeared this man was someone who had once seen the beach in its original glory.

But why did he seem so _familiar_ somehow?

He was missing something here, and it was starting to niggle at the back of his head until he ruthlessly quashed it, focusing on the conversation at hand. It would be disrespectful to just zone out in the middle of a conversation like that.

"Yes, I did." said Izuku, with a small smile. "Did you come to this beach before, Sir?"

The man chuckled at that, a smile of his own appearing.

"No, I can't say that I have spent time here, but I _do_ know that this beach once used to be a popular place until the dumping took place, and it ended up like a junkyard." he said. "Young man, if you don't mind me asking, what compelled you to clean the entire beach on your own?"

Izuku's smile slightly dimmed at that as he remembered Mr. Kaito, but he composed himself and answered the man's question.

"I had a friend who met his wife here when he was younger." said Izuku, looking out at the beach himself. "The last time we met, he told me about how sad he was that public dumping led to a beautiful place like this getting closed down and abandoned."

The man's eyes widened at that, understanding the implication.

"Is he-? Oh, I'm so sorry for bringing it up. Do forgive me." he apologized, slightly embarrassed at intruding on such a sensitive matter.

"There's nothing to apologize for." said Izuku pleasantly. "He lived a full life, even if he was unable to get his last wish granted. But... it made me realize that there are several fragments of evil in our society that the Pros neglect. I mean no disrespect to the Heroes, but things like illegal dumping and racism don't really attract their attention, which means they go on, unchecked, in the background. The Hero I want to be is someone who fights _all_ the evils of society, not just the ones that throw around Quirks. That's why I wanted to clean up Dagobah, and make it so that people can come back here and enjoy its beauty. It took me a couple months, but the beach is finally all cleaned up."

Izuku suddenly realized that he was beginning to monologue when Emerald subtly poked him, and flushed as he realized he had begun a speech of his own when he had been asked a simple question.

"I-I'm so sorry." he stammered awkwardly, gesticulating wildly. "I just went off on a tangent, and-"

"There's nothing to apologize about." said the man, repeating Izuku's earlier words. "I'm actually glad that at least _one_ person among your generation understands what it means to be a true Hero."

The blonde man seemed to be genuinely happy, as there was a skeletal grin on his face that looked ghastly on his sunken face, but at the same time, didn't really elicit any fear.

There was also a slight look of _appraisal_ in his gaze, and for a moment, Izuku got the strangest feeling that he was being subtly judged or _tested_ for something, before the sensation vanished without a trace.

"Youngsters these days only see Pro Heroes as glamorous costumed warriors who fight Villains and save the day, and more subtle things like this completely fly over their heads. Unfortunately, that image has come due to several factors, such as the mainstream media, for one, which makes a spectacle out of them." said the man, letting out a ragged sigh.

Shaking his head, he turned to Izuku again. "You said you want to be a Hero, right?" said the man whose name he still didn't know.

"I do." said Izuku resolutely. "Originally, I wanted to be a Hero like All Might. It was my dream ever since I could walk on two feet."

"_Originally_? What changed?" asked the man curiously.

"I didn't manifest a Quirk." said Izuku simply, and the man's eyes widened in realization, and some other emotion he couldn't quite identify. "Even then, I wanted, no I _needed_ to become a Hero like All Might. Because I want to _help_ people just like he does. I knew that I wouldn't get much in the name of cash or fame if I somehow managed to become the first Quirkless Hero, but that didn't really matter to me. I was never in it for those reasons to begin with."

Izuku looked down at the sand, thinking back to the times that had shaped his dreams and ideals into what they were today.

He didn't know _why_ he was telling all this to someone he had just met, but there was something about the man that just seemed to put him at ease, almost as if he was someone Izuku could confide in.

Since Emerald, who could actively monitor his nervous system to tell if someone was using their Quirk on him to influence his perception or mind, wasn't ringing any alarms, he knew that the man didn't mean any harm.

"I suppose it was later that I realized that no amount of determination would make my dream work the way I wanted it to. Becoming a Hero like All Might... was something that was never meant to be for someone like me." said Izuku.

True, that may have changed, considering Nezu had taken him on as an apprentice, but even then, Izuku had the impression that he would be more of a Hero who worked things behind the scenes like Sir Nighteye or Nezu himself than someone like All Might or Endeavor.

Also, there was Emerald and the magical powers he now had, but those weren't truly _his_, and would probably disappear as soon as he collected all the cards, so he couldn't rely on them.

"Why is that?" asked the man. "You cleaned up this whole beach on your own in just a few months. With that kind of determination, I'm sure that you could become a great Hero, even without a Quirk."

Izuku smiled gratefully at the man's complement. After he'd been helping out around Mustafu for a few years, the amount of people who had told him that had drastically increased in number, and it warmed his heart each time.

After being condemned as a failure in his younger years, it definitely felt good to have his dreams acknowledged.

_"Because the people don't want a Quirkless Hero." _

That statement threw the gaunt man for a loop, and he looked slightly confused. Izuku could understand, it was something that many didn't pick up on at first glance.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said. A Pro Hero also needs to be accepted by the people before they can save anyone. People would never listen to a Quirkless Hero. They wouldn't feel _safe_ around a Quirkless Hero, and that could lead to them getting hurt because they would never accept the words of a Quirkless Hero with the same weight as they would the words of another Hero like Edgeshot. Heroes can pull off heroic feats partially because the public also _cooperates_ with them, allowing them to save more lives. A good example would be Gang Orca's debut, right here in Mustafu. A bank robbery was taking place, and Gang Orca intervened. One of the robbers had an Explosive Quirk, and was about to detonate the building with some charges he had placed, and so Gang Orca gave specific instructions to the civilians and tried to lead them to safety. However, they were scared by his appearance and thought that he was another Villain, and refused to listen to his claims that he wasn't. They didn't follow his instructions... _and all of them died_."

Izuku quieted down at that last part, before turning to the stunned man with a small smile.

"Gang Orca immediately began to involve himself with advertising and media, and within a few months it became widely known that he was in fact a Hero, despite looking like a Villain. Only then did he go back to Hero work, and then, he was able to succeed and flourish without any problems. The public trusted him then, and as such he faced minimal problems trying to help people." said Izuku, finishing his small lecture. "You see, Sir, the people themselves would never trust or accept a Quirkless Hero. That's just the way our society is. If I tried to become a Pro Hero, no one would trust me to rescue them, because in their eyes, I would be someone even weaker than them, trying to act like a big shot. In this day and age, a person's competency and potential are judged by what _Quirk_ they have, not what they have done or what they could do. I wanted to become a Hero like All Might, but I realized that the dream I had could lead innocent people to their deaths through situations like that one. That would make _me_ the Villain, and a failure as a Hero."

"That... is _excellent _insight, young man." breathed the man, deep in thought. "So what do you intend to do now?"

"Well, I guess the future is somewhat uncertain for me, because there have been a bunch of _developments_ recently, but my end goal is to help as many people as I can in any way I can. That's always been my dream. Even if I couldn't achieve it the way I wanted to normally, that doesn't mean it has changed in the least." said Izuku, but before he could speak any further, his phone went off in his pocket, and he checked his messages and found one from his mother.

He could see why. He was running a little later than usual, and wasn't there in time for breakfast.

"I'm so sorry for taking up your time, young man." said the blonde skeleton, understanding what the message was probably about. "But I thank you for sharing your views with me today. You've definitely given me a lot to think about."

"It's no problem at all, Sir!" said Ozuku quickly, embarrassed. "I hope you have a nice day!"

"Oh, before you go; young man, what is your name?"

"Izuku Midoriya, Sir!"

"My name is Toshinori Yagi, Midoriya-san, and for what it's worth, I believe you'll become a _great_ Hero." he said, smiling at him.

"Thank you very much, Yagi-san!" said Izuku with a bright smile.

A lot of thoughts seemed to be running through the man's frame, as he waved goodbye, and both of them parted ways, Izuku moving the trash to the location where it should have gone, while Toshinori walked down a street, deep in thought.

The moment the man had gotten out of sight, Emerald peeked his head out from Izuku's pocket, making sure no one else was there, before he flew out and hovered in front of his eyes.

While Emerald didn't have a face, Izuku had learned to read his emotions somewhat based on the way his features shifted.

And for some reason, he seemed to be very surprised.

**[Izuku... that man... was **_**radiating**_ **magical energy. Enough to power the Mage's Association's Rituals for a **_**month**_ **without any issue. Hell, even **_**Casters**_ **would be put to shame by how much he had.]**

"What?" asked Izuku in disbelief. "I thought you said there was no one with Magical Energy left in the World beyond the paltry amount I have!"

**[Yeah, I **_**thought**_ **that was the case, but **_**apparently,**_ **I'm wrong. That man... he also gave off a different vibe too, which makes things** _**even crazier**_**...]**

"What do you mean?"

**[Toshinori Yagi, whoever he is... gives off the same aura as a **_**Heroic Spirit**_**.]**

break

"So why did you want to see me, Sir?" asked Toshinori as he sat in front of Nezu at the chimera's desk, awkwardly adjusting his oversized blue suit.

He'd certainly had an eventful day, if he did say so himself.

_Because he'd finally found a worthy successor for One For All._

It was a meeting that had happened completely by accident, but Toshinori Yagi, or as he was better known, _All Might_, couldn't help but wonder if it was _fate_.

_Izuku Midoriya._

That was the name of the child who he believed had the greatest potential to become the next Symbol of Peace.

He'd been impressed at first that the boy had actually cleaned up the entirety of Dagobah Muncipal Beach on his own.

Like he said, he hadn't actually _seen_ the beach in its original state, but had read about it several times in a small section of the newspaper and had done a little research on it too.

Honestly, he was going out there to check it out himself and try to discreetly do something about it, but the green-haired boy had beaten him to the punch.

He hadn't thought too much of it then, but he had acknowledged that the boy had a powerful work ethic.

His evaluation had truly begun when he had asked the boy _why_ he had cleaned up the beach.

When Izuku had described what being a Hero meant to him, it had struck a chord within him, and it was probably _then_ that he decided to consider the boy as a possible candidate for One For All.

Some might call him impulsive for jumping the gun like that, but what people didn't realize was that punching things wasn't the _only_ thing he knew how to do.

His mentors had taught him much more than how to fight, and one of those skills was how to read people.

Such an ability was necessary for a Hero, as they needed to know when someone was lying, and more importantly, to judge the kind of moves a Villain was going to make, and to see whether they had truly given up or not at the end of a battle.

Admittedly, he wasn't good at dealing with the _results_ of his readings, at least when it came to people and not Villains, and tended to make things awkward, but that didn't mean he _lacked_ the skill to do so.

The boy was a pure soul, a rarity in the World. Few could honestly fit that label. Even _he_ wasn't a pure soul, at least not on Midoriya's level.

It was probably what had drawn his attention in the first place.

But it was nothing compared to how the rest of their conversation would effect him.

If telling the reason why he had tried to clean up the beach and telling what he believed a Hero should be had caused him to consider the boy as a _possible_ candidate, then Izuku's analysis on his own dreams and the path he had chosen had cemented his decision and told him _that he wasn't going to find anyone better._

For the first time in a rather long time, Toshinori had been well and truly _stunned_.

After all, he had never met a person who was so _selfless_ that he would abandon the dream he possessed since he was a child not due to a lack of ability or effort, but for the sake of _others_?

People who aspired to be Heroes often _claimed_ that they wanted to do so in order to save everyone like All Might did, but very few of those people were _actually_ willing to make sacrifices towards that end.

_And none of them had ever sacrificed their own ambition for the sake of __**helping**_ _people._

Especially those who had taken the brunt of society's scorn.

He had seen the look in the boy's eyes when he had described his Quirklessness, something which had admittedly formed a bond of kinship between them, as Toshinori too had come from nothing, although the pain in Izuku's gaze told him that the green-haired boy had it much worse than him.

It was something he could understand; when Toshinori was Izuku's age, Quirks still hadn't been fully accepted into society, and only about 40-50% of the population had them, meaning that Quirk Racism wasn't all that high, and lay in a precarious balance.

If the Quirkless suicide rates were anything to go by, this was _clearly_ _**not**_ the case in the current age.

Izuku _clearly_ had a history of bullying, and yet he still found the strength to continue to help others in any way he could, and even gave up his dream of becoming a Pro because he didn't want to put people in danger.

Toshinori was _impressed_. Children that boy's age were more focused on getting into the dating game, _experimenting_, and trying to show off and look cool, while Izuku was running around doing public services and had a level of maturity that was practically _unprecedented_.

The boy's insight and his reason for becoming a Hero was just the icing on the cake.

The only reason he hadn't offered his Quirk _then and there_ was because he didn't want to surprise the boy like that out of the blue and dump that kind of pressure on him.

He still had _plenty_ of time to choose a successor, maybe even a few years, although his power was fading _fast_ due to the injuries he had sustained fighting All For One.

Currently, he had about 14 hours a day in his Muscle Form, but he doubted it would stay that high for long, especially if he pushed himself too hard.

He had _more_ than enough time to get to know the boy a little better, not to judge whether he was a worthy successor, because Izuku had already surpassed any possible test or criteria he could come up with, but to become a little more familiar with him before popping the question.

After all, the boy had no idea he was All Might nor did he have any knowledge on his circumstances, so some skeletal man coming in out of the blue, claiming to be All Might and offering a Quirk, _might_ ring some alarm bells.

If he had some time to befriend the boy and become a little more familiar, he would know whether he would even _accept_ One For All, considering he seemed to have moved on from his old dream of becoming a Pro, and even with the passage of his Quirk out of the subject, Izuku Midoriya seemed like the kind of person who would be an _excellent_ confidant like his friend Naomasa Tsukauchi, successor or not.

Honestly, his decision was already set in stone.

The future of One For All depended on whether the boy accepted it or not.

"Well, Toshinori, the reason I've called you to U.A. on such short notice is to discuss a potential candidate to receive One For All from you." said Nezu stoically, causing Toshinori to wince.

His former principal really couldn't have picked a _worse_ time for a conversation like this, literally only _hours_ after he'd made his decision.

"Well, about that Sir..." he said awkwardly, fiddling with his tie.

"What is it?" asked the chimera, looking up at him with something akin to both curiousity and expectation.

"I've already found a successor I believe is worthy to receive One For All from me." said All Might, sagging slightly. "Just this morning, in fact."

"Oh, really?" asked Nezu curiously. He didn't see, to be upset in the least, but that was just to be expected from the principal, who likely had foreseen this very situation.

"Have you already passed down One For All or informed your candidate of your decision?"

"No." said Toshinori, shaking his head. "I didn't get a chance to yet, and since I'm not in a hurry, I want to get to know him a little more first."

"Well then, I don't think you stand to lose anything by looking over the candidate I've chosen." said Nezu, placing his teacup down and sliding a dossier forward.

"Well, I suppose so..." said All Might, picking up the folder, though he was firm in his belief that there wouldn't be a better candidate than Young Midoriya.

He might not have been the most accomplished of candidates; there may have been tons of people out there with strong Quriks that would mesh well with One For All, granting them the capability to be far stronger than even him, but Izuku just felt _right_, and that was a feeling that couldn't be replicated by achievement.

He opened the dossier... and promptly coughed up blood in shock when he saw the name and the picture present there.

"Wait, the person you were talking about was _Young Midoriya_?!" he cried in shock, before looking at his former principal. "He's the person _I_ was talking about too!"

Nezu just stared at him for a moment, temporarily dumbfounded, before _erupting_ in high-pitched, squeaky laughter, falling out of his chair.

Toshinori alternated between staring dumbly at the dossier and staring dumbly at the chimera currently rolling around on the floor.

"A-and h-here I was thinking I needed to talk you into it." said Nezu in between his laughs. "T-Truly, Midoriya-san doesn't do anything by halves."

It was then that a certain detail on the dossier caught Toshinori's eye.

"Wait, he has a _doctorate_ in Quirk Analysis?!" exclaimed Toshinori in surprise, blinking rapidly to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. "From _I-Island University_?!"

"Oh yes. Despite not having a Quirk, Midoriya-san is quite the gifted individual." said Nezu, who had mysteriously returned to his chair like nothing had happened. "He is also a new teacher at U.A., and I've taken him under my wing to train him into a Pro Hero."

Okay, hold up.

Toshinori just needed to take a quick breather, because he was starting to get overwhelmed.

No offense to Young Midoriya, but he was a _monster._

In a _good_ way.

It was like he was _intentionally_ made Quirkless in order to avoid becoming a literal High-End.

He couldn't be older than thirteen, and he was _already_ a Doctor _and_ a teacher at U.A.?

Oh yeah, and he couldn't forget the boy being Nezu's apprentice.

Was _this_ what Izuku had meant when he had talked about 'recent developments'?!

_Yeah, it looked like his intuition had been right._

"So I guess there's nothing more to really say, is there?" said Toshinori awkwardly, setting the dossier down.

"No, I don't think there is." said Nezu, positively _radiant_.

After all, things were going _much _better than he had planned. He'd even recorded their conversation in the hopes of swaying All Might, only for Midoriya to go and impress the Number One Hero on his own.

Honestly, that child was a gift from God, and he didn't even know it.

Nezu was _excited_, and emphasized it by rubbing his paws together.

"I truly believe that Izuku Midoriya has what it takes in order to become the next Symbol of Peace, if not more. He already has a body fit to receive One For All, so it is best to transfer it as soon as possible. After all, it takes _years_ of training in order to reach an appropriate level of mastery with that Quirk, and that is ample time for me to train him as well. He will be safe as he develops within the halls of U.A., and since he isn't a student he will remain more or less under the radar until he is ready to take up your mantle."

"Well, it looks like you've figured everything out Sir." said All Might with a grin. "So I guess I don't have any complaints. Even if I keep One For All, I only have a few years at most until my injuries leave me unable to use it. Even if All For One is still out there, he _definitely_ needs time to recover before he can make any more big moves, and that's the time we can use to train Young Midoriya. With your guidance Sir, I think this is the best course of action."

"Very good." said Nezu, leaning back and taking a sip of tea. "Tomorrow, he will visit U.A. for an orientation of sorts. That's when we'll ask the question, and make the transfer."

"Are you sure he'll accept it, Sir?" said Toshinori curiously. "He said he'd moved on from his dream of becoming a Pro."

Nezu chuckled at that.

"You already know the answer to that, Toshinori. Midoriya-san decided to avoid becoming a Pro Hero so he could avoid causing any casualties among the ranks of those who would discriminate against him. That concern would become invalid if he received a Quirk. For that reason, there is no doubt in my mind that he will accept One For All."

He looked out towards the window, at the noonday sun, the warm rays setting his fur aglow.

"After all, Izuku Midoriya is like you in many ways, Toshinori. He is the kind of person who would shoulder the weight of the World if it would help people."

A moment of silence as the chimera finished his tea.

"And ultimately, _that_ is what makes him worthy to become the next Symbol of Peace, more so than any qualification or Quirk."

* * *

**Aaaaand Cut! That's all for now, folks!**

**Honestly, there was supposed to be a lot more action and Servant shenanigans in this chapter, but that got cut into part 2, which is _still_ looking like it will break the 10k word limit.**

**Honestly, when I get into something, I _really_ get into it.**

**Next chapter also has the appearance of a certain snek-face, who I'm sure many of you were waiting for.**

**And is it really a suprise that Izuku would hate the very _concept_ of the Holy Grail War, being who he is?**

**My information came from the Fate Grand Order games, so don't sue me over any errors in the information.**

**Also, the revelation in this chapter; Fuyuki is in fact Mustafu.**

**I know that geographically, there is probably no chance that they are the same place, but hey, they are both fictional cities, so whatever. There's no reason to kick up a fuss over it.**

**For all we know, a tectonic Quirk could have shifted the location of Fuyuki City to where Mustafu is now.**

**Additionally, I reformatted Izuku and All Might's meeting to be more accommodating to the new Izuku. Canon Izuku was a lot less confident and mature than Event Horizon Izuku due to the divergence in their childhood, so their interactions with All Might would of course be different, especially since the situation and the time is different as well.**

**_Also, anyone who has a problem with my emphasis on Quirk Racism; just take a look at the state of the World right now, especially America and what happened with that police officer, and then tell me it isn't as bad. Hell, in the MHA World, it is arguably much worse, considering the aggressors are almost the entire population and they have SUPERPOWERS._**

**Don't feel bad that the two One For All buddies don't seem as close as in canon. All Might and Izuku still share their canon relationship; that's a bond I'm not breaking, even in a fanfiction story.**

**Oh, and I'm sure All Might knew All For One survived, because Gran Torino specifically mentions that All For One escaped by taking advantage of All Might's emotional state.**

**Anyways, I don't know what to say anymore and I need a nap, so I'll be leaving things here.**

**Please don't leave any flames unless they actually have a logical basis, and if you have any questions or ideas, please leave a Review or PM me.**

**I hope this fic can rise to glory, and ascend to the Throne of FanFiction; TVTropes, though that seems like a longshot.**

**Stay safe you guys.**

**Spatialphoenix here, burning to ashes.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! It is I, the phoenix, back with another chapter of Event Horizon!**

**Today, I'll admit I don't have much to say, but there are a few things I have to lay on you guys. First of all, I personally want to admit that this chapter may seem a bit lower in quality than my other ones (personal opinion, anyways), and the reason for that is because I am kind of rushing to get to the point that hundred of people have asked me about time and time again; Izuku being a teacher.**

**That's one of the main premises of this story, apart from Izuku being a Kaleid Liner. So I can admittedly understand why so many people are getting impatient that I'm not getting there. For that reason, I kind of had to rush this specific chapter, mainly because it is the awkward puberty phase of the Arc, but once again, that is only my personal opinion.**

**Don't worry though, I've planned out everything else accordingly, and Izuku should be teaching in about 3 chapters. Normally, it would have been 5-8, so you can see how much I edited the plot and rearranged things.**

**That's honestly my only complaint. Everything else seems to be flowing smoothly. I guess I'm kind of frustrated because the part of my brain that generates the dialogues for my stories seemed to die when I was writing this, so I didn't get as many conversations as I would have liked.**

**Once again, that's all me. But if the chapter is really THAT bad, then I'll take it down and rewrite it to the best of my ability. I don't think it'll come to that, but just in case, I wanted to put that out there.**

**I'll be honest with you; I tend to suffer as a writer where dialogue is concerned. I don't know why, but anything I come up with just seems lame to me, and I end up feeling kind of cringy at my own lines. I'm good at narrating, exposition, descriptions of a character's mental state and fight scenes, but dialogue, for some obscure reason, seems to be my main weakness.**

**Once again, I don't think the chapter is as bad as I'm making it out to be, but it could have been better. However, just like puberty, this chapter was necessary for the fic to grow, so I hope you guys forgive me.**

**By the way, on the topic of your Reviews, I want to wholeheartedly thank you guys for all the support. This story had a really rough start where I got constantly flamed, so I'm glad to see that there isn't an unkind word coming in these days. It really makes my day when you guys leave a kind word, so once again, thank you all.**

**As for your questions; yes, I will add all the Extra Classes, except maybe Mooncancer, because of the shenanigans involved there. And yes, I do understand that Okita is much stronger than I've displayed her thus far, but remember that Izuku has even less Mana than Shirou. He can hardly sustain her simply because even with Emerald filling him up constantly, his capacity isn't big enough. She will have her time soon enough.**

**Anyways, that is all I wanted to say, so let's get on with the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Master and Servant [Part 2]**

* * *

Izuku carefully studied his target, mentally mapping out trajectories and possible striking methods.

His eyes narrowed as he took every precaution to whittle down the chances of failure.

_Everything he'd worked for depended on this moment._

To his sides, Mirio and Tamaki watched with bated breath, sweat rolling down their temples. Mirio's clothes fell off thanks to his anxiety, and Tamaki's hands quite literally _clammed up_, as they bore witness to the act that would seal their fates.

He took a deep breath, tensing his muscles and clenching his buttcheeks in preparation, shaking a few loose strands of hair out of his face.

Then he exhaled, and _rolled the ball down the aisle._

The bowling ball almost _soared_ gracefully down the lane, before slamming into the bowling pins that served as the gate-keepers to Izuku's victory.

The initial charge took out all but _three_ pins, which wobbled unsteadily.

"C'mon..." muttered Izuku, sweat rolling down his face as he prayed for them to fall over.

To his sides, Mirio and Tamaki were praying the exact _opposite_.

One fell over, taking another one down with it, leaving one _wobbling_ pin to decide the fate of the match.

They all watched.

It tilted to the side.

It leaned towards the ground.

_And then finally fell over._

"Strike!" cheered Izuku, while Mirio and Tamaki groaned in despair.

"Guess you win." said Tamaki, his hands returning to normal.

Suddenly, he seemingly _warped_ to the nearby wall, sinking his face into it in embarrassment.

"Mirio, your clothes." he said softly.

"Oh, right!" said Mirio, not even caring that he was flashing people in public. Thankfully, they didn't get kicked out or arrested because this sort of thing was common whenever Mirio got to excited, and people had long-since gotten used to it.

In fact, their lane was specially reserved for them by the manager, and had special dividers to keep them from being easily seen.

Izuku supposed that in a World of Quirks, one had to become flexible when running an establishment to cater to the needs of those with Quirks that caused certain complications.

Still, the owner of this bowling alley was a nice old man who Izuku knew personally, which is why they got the special treatment to begin with.

Since Izuku always insisted on paying no matter how many times the manager told him he could use the lanes for free, he'd gone through the liberty of arranging a lane specifically for their use.

The boys had been frequenting the place for many years, after all, and were exemplary customers, if one ignored Mirio's accidents and Tamaki's wall-hugging tendencies.

And as such, nearly every Sunday, the three boys met up to go bowling, a tradition honored by time. It was basically routine by that point, shared between three bright-eyed friends.

"Well, I guess that means you've won 40, I've won 52, and Tamaki's won... 6, at least since we started counting!" said Mirio brightly, causing Tamaki to groan in despair.

Poor Tamaki. He always got chicken feet when he was about to throw the ball.

_Literally_.

After the first few times it happened, they told Tamak to stop eating meat for a few days to see if the issue would be resolved.

_It wasn't._

Instead, his hands turned into bean sprouts and he dropped the ball on his foot.

"Well, I'll catch up to you in no time, Mirio!" said Izuku with a laugh as they put their bowling shoes away.

"So are you guys all ready for your first day of U.A.?" asked Izuku cautiously, keeping his face straight to avoid giving away even a single hint that he was going to be _teaching_ at U.A. that term.

"Oh yeah, I'm _super_ pumped!" said Mirio, with boundless enthusiasm and a wide grin as he flashed Izuku and Tamaki a thumbs up. "This is going to be awesome! I heard that after a week or two of school, we can participate in the upcoming U.A. Sports Festival! We'll be showing off our skills live for people around the World, especially the Pros, and if they're impressed enough with our talent, they'll allow us to intern with them!"

Izuku smiled. Mirio's attitude was infectious, but the excitement was real, as even Tamaki, timid as he was, seemed somewhat excited at the prospect, even if he was nervous about it.

After all, thanks to all the training they had done together, he had gotten a pretty good grasp on his Quirk. He was more than confident in his ability to do well in an event like the Sports Festival, which was a sure fire indicator of how far he had come.

"I still think that's kind of fast though..." said Izuku, tapping his chin. "I mean, shouldn't they host the Festival at the end of the year, instead of the beginning? I mean, I understand that this is the best season for an event like that, but how much will he first year students actually be able to learn before they're thrust into a competitive environment?"

True, they were facing off against other first years, which meant they'd all be rather inexperienced, but Izuku felt that conducting the Festival at the end of the year would make it easier for the students to impress a Pro Hero, because they would have improved a lot with their Quirk usage and even their _personalities_ thanks to the advanced learning environment and guidance from actual Pro Heroes.

"That's a good point." said Mirio, adopting his thinking face. "Although I guess maybe showing off our raw skills, without much official training, shows our potential! I mean, if we're this good _without_ official training, then how good will we be when we actually get trained by the Pros? Maybe that's what they're going for, but I could be wrong."

"Maybe not." said Izuku thoughtfully. "That's an interesting angle to look at it from though."

"But that wouldn't really apply to the second and third years, right?" said Tamaki softly, adding his own input.

"True." admitted Mirio, seeing the flaw in his reasoning. "I guess we'll just have to find out by experiencing it, so I say we start training _immediately_!"

"Tomorrow." said Tamaki firmly. "I need to visit my relatives today. I won't be available in the afternoon."

"Oh, okay then. Monday it is! School starts on Friday, so we'll cram as much training as we can and then go from there." said Mirio, smacking a fist into his palm.

"Honestly, I don't think we can really improve anymore by training on our own." said Tamaki contemplatively. "We've hit our physical peak, and I can't see anything else to improve regarding my Quirk."

"Eh, you're right, but I don't think that there's ever really an upper limit to how much we can achieve." said Mirio brightly. "After all, even by doing the same thing over and over again, you can do something amazing!"

That was admittedly true in some cases. People like Best Jeanist mastered their Quirks by using them over and over again until their control reached an entirely different level.

In that regard, Mirio and Tamaki still had a decent road ahead of them. While they had gotten down every Quirk Trick Izuku had taught them, their basics hadn't yet reached the level of true Mastery.

"I think that we should start focusing on crime scenarios though." said Izuku. "We've sparred against each other a lot, but being a Hero isn't only about fighting. The only problem is that Search and Rescue Training isn't something you can do in your back yard or at the gym. I think U.A. has a facility for this kind of training though."

"Well, I'm sure it'll all work out." said Mirio easily, before looking at Izuku out the corner of his eye, his grin faltering slightly. "But we may not have as much time to meet up anymore, Izu."

The words were said apologetically, but Izuku could only smile in response, with the characteristic smugness of someone who knew something important.

They had exited the establishment in the meanwhile, and entered the fork in the road where Izuku split off from them to go home.

"Don't be so sure about that..." said Izuku, grinning, before heading down his path.

Tamaki and Mirio looked at each other, mystified. Smugness wasn't one of Izuku's base character traits, after all, so they were visibly confused.

"Do you ever get the feeling he knows something we don't?" asked Mirio, his grin portraying a little more confusion than normal.

"_All the time._" said Tamaki, his expression perfectly deadpan.

* * *

"I'm home!" called Izuku, leaving his footwear behind and entering his home.

"Welcome home, sweetie." said his mother warmly, rummaging through the refrigerator for the vegetables she had chopped the night before.

Now that her son was home, however, she abandoned her task and made her way over to him as he laid his backpack down and gave her a hug.

"I take it by that mischievous expression on your face that your friends don't know you're going to be _teaching_ at their High School?" she said with an impish grin, causing Izuku to blush in embarrassment as she saw right through him.

"*cough* Well, they never actually asked, so..."

"Mhm, and it has nothing to do with you wanting to surprise them?" teased Inko, messing up her son's hair with her hand.

"No?"

"Was that a question or an answer?"

"A little bit of both, actually."

"Heh. Well, lunch will be ready in an hour. Just stay home until you eat, and then you can go out afterwards. After all, you're going to be a working adult in a few days, just like your parents, so you might as well enjoy yourself when you have the day off." she said, going back to the kitchen. "Now where did those leeks run off to..."

Izuku went back to his own room, pushing the door open and gently locking it behind him.

He opened his bag, and Emerald flew out, soaring through the air before hovering above his desk as Izuku collapsed onto his chair, letting out a breath before he cracked his neck and took out a notebook.

He threw a look at the Deck of Heroes, which was in his drawer, and then continued, as the Cards were inactive, which probably meant they didn't need anything at the moment.

He flipped open the book to the latest entry, after making a mental note to create profiles for each of the Heroic Spirits he had met. In the excitement of the last few days, he had forgotten, but old habits tended to kick in sooner or later, and his urge to overanalyze was coming back in full force.

The entry he had opened too was from a rather special notebook he usually kept on himself when he went to work with Professor Washi.

He called it the 'Index of Historical Legends, True and Unknown', or the Legendex, for short.

It was where he recorded all of the most accurate histories of various important historical figures based on what he had deciphered and the findings of the other branches of the archeological and historical industries, including people ranging from Medb, Queen of Connacht, to Draupadi, the wife of the Pandava Princes.

**[These are pretty accurate, from what I can tell.]** remarked Emerald, peering over his shoulder. **[Do you mind if I take a few scans? I can cross-reference the information in battle to figure out what kind of Heroic Spirit we're up against. My data banks were damaged, do I lost most of this information. ]**

"No problem." said Izuku, leaning back so that Emerald could get to work. Of course, the reason he had taken that notebook out in the first place was to see if he could find something they liked to do based on their stories.

More specifically, if there were any activities over which he could bond with them. While he had no obligation to do so, and he knew most of the Servants wouldn't push him to either, Izuku still refused to just leave them lying around when he wasn't using them. They were people too, and they deserved to be treated as such. This belief was only reinforced after Emerald had told him about the Holy Grail War, something that wasn't _Holy_ in any sense of the word.

However, he had no idea what to do beyond taking them to shop for clothes so that they didn't stand out too much, or worse, get mistaken for Pro Heroes, which could lead to a bunch of problems. They gave off the auras of seasoned Pros, probably because they kind of _were_, which is what would make people actually believe they were Pro Heroes instead of random cosplayers. That would lead to a bunch of issues that would draw attention to the fact that none of them had any identification, as they hadn't been citizens for _centuries_, which would probably land them in jail, alongside him.

Another problem was that he could only manifest one of them at any given point in time, due to his ailing Mana Capacity, meaning he could only take one of them with him at any given time, at least until Tamamo finished her preparations with the Magical Core. He was leery to only speak to them telepathically, because that didn't seem very respectful, so he supposed he would just have to make the time to do something with them one by one.

Izuku had to admit to himself that this was probably the best course of action, because each Heroic Spirit had their own likes and dislikes, not to mention personalities and traits.

He had a distinct idea of what to do with each of them, except maybe Galahad, because the man (although he looked about the same age as him) was pretty closed off. Not in a bad way, but Izuku could tell that there was something up with him, something that the Grail Knight wasn't willing to share just about yet, which was fine, because everyone was entitled to their own secrets.

From their link, Izuku was only able to pick up trace amounts of two emotions; shame and regret. He wanted to help Galahad with whatever was bothering him, but he honestly didn't know _how_ to.

Emerald, while he was thinking, had finished scanning the Legendex, and Izuku discussed the issue with him, after closing the drawer containing the Deck of Heroes so that they wouldn't listen in.

**[Hmm... I think the only way to understand what's up with Shielder is to talk to another Knight of the Round. He strikes me as the stubborn kind, so he won't open up that easily. As for your other issue though, I think you should take Tamamo with you today. While Okita would be the ideal choice as she's the least conspicuous of the Heroic Spirits you have contracted to you, Tamamo needs to map out the Leylines in Mustafu properly, so she can build her own Workshop, which is something we need ASAP in order to deal with your Mana troubles as quickly as possible. And she can shapeshift, which can make things a little easier for you.]**

"Okay then." said Izuku, before taking out a few sticky notes he had written his plans on. "So let me just work everything out..."

* * *

Izuku walked down the street, about two hours later, after he had eaten lunch, finalized his plans, grabbed Tamamo's Class Card, and set out, after quickly transmitting his thoughts to the other Heroic Spirits, who were quick to affirm the validity of Emerald's suggested strategy, although Okita and Jeanne insisted that they wanted to go out soon as well, while Galahad remained silent.

Emerald lay dormant in his pocket, having gone into Sleep Mode as to avoid 'interfering with the atmosphere', whatever _that_ meant.

Emerald was an extremely quirky Kaleidostick, after all, so he didn't understand some of the more subtle language he employed.

Unknown to him, only Kaleido Sapphire was in any ways _normal_. Ruby was even _worse_ than Emerald, by a large margin.

The reason Emerald was with him in the first place was just in case he detected another Class Card nearby that would require Izuku's attention. Without Emerald, Izuku couldn't cross over into the Mirror World and fight, so Emerald accompanied him in some form wherever he went outside of his home, because unlike the Deck of Heroes, he couldn't summon Emerald to his side if he needed them. One of the few weaknesses he had as a Kaleid Liner.

Anyways, he was currently panicking because his companion, Tamamo, had insisted on clutching his arm possessively, in order to 'discourage anyone from getting any _ideas_'.

He didn't personally understand what sort of _ideas_ anyone would get and how pressing her body against his arm would dissuade those ideas, but she looked so determined that he couldn't bring himself to refuse her.

Didn't make him any less flustered though.

Tamamo's shape shifting abilities had proven top notch, as she had reduced her height to match his, so that they looked about the same age, although Tamamo was _clearly_ more _developed_ than anyone her age should have been.

She was wearing a pink and white striped sweater, with the zipper pulled down low enough to expose her bra, which was the _only_ thing she was wearing beneath it, along with a gold necklace, extremely short black shorts, black stockings that almost reached up to them, and black high heels.

His own reservations about the lack of propriety her outfit displayed was offset by the fact that she actually fit in quite well, even though her ears and tail were out on full display.

In fact, the reason she was drawing the attention of people nearby wasn't due to her looking odd, but rather due to her peerless beauty, which was quite a step above most people.

He tended to blend in pretty well with crowds, except in areas where the people were familiar with him, such as some of the areas where he had walked dogs and the like, but now, he was more than conscious of the looks he was getting, which he attributed to the fact that he was with Tamamo.

Unknown to him, however, he was partially wrong. A good portion of those jealous looks were also aimed at Tamamo for being with _him_.

While his face was admittedly more on the plain side, his exotic hair color, his natural cuteness and looks that were offset by a rugged physique honed by years of Mirio's muscle training from hell meant that he was _definitely_ a looker, almost on par with the woman he was walking arm in arm with.

The younger boys were envious of Izuku for being near Tamamo, with the few exceptions who were envious of Tamamo for the same reason, while the _opposite_ was true for the younger girls, both the majority and the minority.

The men took their hats off to Izuku, mentally congratulating him for scoring a catch like her, while the women couldn't help but coo at the sight of a couple that looked like they were _made_ for each other, walking together without paying any attention to anyone but each other. It made them remember their younger years fondly, when they met their own spouses.

Tamamo herself was _giddy_ with excitement.

Private time with her beloved husband, on what was basically a _date_? Hell to the _yes_~!

While she knew that more _overt_ romance was out of the equation, at least for a few years, this was the perfect opportunity to show Izuku that she was the best girl he could ever ask for! True, the urgency was _partially_ stimulated by the fact that two of his other Servants were _also_ highly attractive women, one of whom was _already_ falling for their Master, even if neither of them knew it, but she had to admit that she was having the time of her life, exploring Mustafu with Izuku.

The most surreal part of the whole experience, apart from her darling of course, was the fact that she wasn't being glared at with _actual_ killing intent, despite taking on a shape that was pretty much just a shorter version of her true form.

Sure, she was being glared at by those hussies who didn't want to accept the fact that Izuku was _hers_, but that was to be expected, since her beloved husband was on an entirely different level that other men couldn't hope to reach.

However, not _one_ of the people they had passed, in spite of seeing her vulpine features, had given her a look of _true_ hatred.

And she could see _why_, having figured it out when they passed a _humanoid shark_ wearing a polo and cargo shorts, whom people were talking to as if it was completely normal.

It was a far cry from the Japan she remembered, where she had been hunted and reviled simply for being _different_.

Of course, that wasn't to say that the kind of racism she had experienced was gone. Instead, it had merely been _reversed_, so that the people who might have been considered normal back in _her_ time were now _abnormal_.

She had seen firsthand how much her Master had suffered due to the same intolerance she had known all too well, merely for having been born without a Quirk, but she understood that the World had _definitely_ gotten better in terms of tolerance, even if it was _far_ from perfect.

Otherwise, her Master wouldn't even have been _alive_ for her to hold onto.

She quickly banished those negative thoughts, and focused more on how to get her Master to open up to her. While she enjoyed teasing him, especially because he would get flustered even with the slightest hint of skin, which was partially why she had chosen a rather _daring_ outfit, she wanted him to be comfortable around her, just like she was around him.

And thankfully, she knew _just_ how to do that.

"I can't believe that a time like this came to be." she said honestly, taking a glance at the various kinds of people around her, in all shapes and sizes, as well as the patrolling Heroes in their bright and colorful costumes.

"I can see why Mystery no longer holds much power here..."

If everyone could use Magecraft, then _no one _could use Magecraft. That was a truth already known to the Mages of the Clock Tower back when it had still existed. Something similar had happened in this World; when 4/5th of people had a unique ability, which Tamamo suspected had a closer connection to Magic than anyone realized, the concept of Magecraft basically had the rug pulled out from beneath its feet.

"From an outside perspective, I guess it _is_ kind of strange." said Izuku in response, smiling. "But for us? This is all we've ever known. I don't think there's a person alive who remembers the time before Quirks first began appearing."

Step One of Tamamo's Foolproof Plan to Steal Izuku's Heart: Get him to talk, especially about something related to Quirks, Heroes, or _both_.

The idea was to slide in using something he was comfortable with as a cover. It helped that despite being adept at combat, Izuku was an intellectual.

"So who came first, Villains or Heroes?" she asked, further steering the conversation towards territory her hubby was familiar with.

"No one know, because the records on the subject aren't very accurate or complete. In fact, it's one of the great Mysteries of our time, because Heroes and Villains began appearing almost as soon as Quirks did. Even the Baby who was born with the first recorded Quirk became a Hero, one of the first, and his power was a type of light absorption ability that basically turned his body into a modified optic fiber cable..." began Izuku, his tension beginning to melt away.

Tamamo almost squealed in delight when Izuku's eyes lit up, his body language changing rapidly as he began to elaborate on the subject.

Tamamo kept her ears on their conversation, but her attention was on his bright smile and the gentle swaying of his hair in the wind. She reached out with her tail and wrapped it around his free arm, and was pleased to see that he hardly even noticed, having become so engrossed in their chat. Instinctively though, he began to gently nuzzle her fluffy tail with his fingers as he spoke, which made her cheeks flush with pleasure.

_Words_ couldn't describe the level of affection she felt.

The old her, back when she was still alive, would never have believed that such a thing was possible. That she could be happy like this, that she could find someone to love with all of her heart.

She may have had to wait a thousand years to meet the man of her dreams, but Tamamo no Mae could say with _absolute certainty_ that it was worth it.

* * *

The rest of the day passed by rather smoothly, much to Izuku's surprise.

He had no idea how time had gone by so fast, but they'd managed to get a lot of things done.

Seeing as Tamamo seemed to have an eye for fashion, he'd let her pick out the clothes for both herself and the other Heroic Spirits to wear casually so they could blend in better, something she seemed to enjoy very well.

A little _too_ well at times, especially when her own turn came.

She'd asked him to judge how her outfits looked on her, which was a _trap_ that he knew full well about, but fell for anyway, and was subjected to almost an hour of what could only be some form of torture as Tamamo put on increasingly raunchy outfits that made him blush just by _thinking_ about them.

For some reason, she'd almost collapsed at one point when he had admitted, heavily embarrassed, that she would probably look good in _anything_, which was just the honest truth in his opinion. She'd also been on Cloud Nine ever since.

_"Mikon~ You're too sweet, darling!"_

Once _that_ was over though, he'd gotten a little more breathing room. He and Tamamo had basically completed a circuit around the city, and the latter had affirmed that none of the Ley Lines around Mustafu, despite being stronger than normal, were still functional, meaning their only source of magical energy was Emerald for the time being.

That did remind him of the man he had met that morning, Toshinori Yagi, who was apparently _overflowing_ with magical energy, but Izuku decided to investigate that quietly without bringing the Servants into it. After all, the magical energy could be related to some kind of Quirk, maybe one that generated energy.

Just because he had magical energy didn't mean that the man was a Magus. He could attest to that, as he also knew no Magecraft worth mentioning, because Emerald basically turned his imagination into reality, pretty much bypassing the steps of Magecraft.

Also, the powers he used as a Kaleid Liner was more along the line of holographic projection rather than actual magical spells like blessings or curses, meaning it wasn't _really_ Magecraft in the truest sense.

Anyways, it was nearing sunset, and Izuku was honestly surprised that he hadn't messed anything up. He tended to get paralyzed around girls, especially those closer to his own age, considering he was an outcast at school and had only ever interacted with adults orchestra elderly. He was still socially stunted in his own age group, with the exception of Mirio and Tamaki, but he had been friends with them for years.

Maybe if he had been a little more socially adept, he would have realized he had basically taken Tamamo on a date, and actually _succeeded_ in showing her a good time, but this was Izuku; he was a smooth operator when he had _no idea_ he was operating.

They'd hit some of the best eateries around Mustafu, something that Izuku knew well from all the times he had spent helping out around the city.

Of course, this meant he had met many people that he knew. They had all congratulated him, remarking that they 'didn't know he had it in him', which made him stutter furiously in denial, and had refused to charge him, which _also_ made him stutter furiously in denial and try to shove his money into their hands, something which failed miserably.

Tamamo had introduced herself as Mizukume, which was her childhood name if he recalled correctly, and had joined forces with everyone in teasing him, which was practically (in his eyes) the biggest betrayal he had ever experienced since Mirio stole the last bowl of Katsudon at the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet they had been to two years earlier.

He still hadn't forgiven Mirio for the dastardly act. He was okay with the blonde boy cleaning the entire place out and getting them booted from the establishment when they ran out of food, but he couldn't forgive the fact that his precious Katsudon had also fallen under the banner of his conquest.

However, this made Izuku realize that he would have to tell his mom about the Class Cards. Too many people had met Tamamo, although thankfully, none of his classmates nor Bakugo were among them, something he thanked whatever Gods were out there for, but this meant that word would reach his mother sooner or later, and that would lead to complications, and force him to spin a web of lies that he simply couldn't do. He couldn't betray the trust she had placed in him.

Izuku resolved to tell her at dinner, because the more he put it off, the worse it would be. Sometimes, one just had to bite the bullet instead of shying away from it. This was a lesson he had learned growing up. He'd done so regarding his friendship with Mirio and Tamaki, as well as all the work he had done and the hobbies he had gotten himself into.

Tamamo tugged on his arm with her tail, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"Where are we going, Goshuujin-sama~?" she asked cheerfully, pulling her zipper up to ward off the evening chill.

Mentally thankful that she only called him by such an embarrassing nickname when they were alone or with Emerald, Izuku answered her.

"There's just one last place I wanted to show you." he said, as he took her along the path to a location that meant a lot to him.

Dagobah Municpal Beach.

He was bringing her for two reasons; first of all, it was the only place he hadn't taken her to yet that _might_ be important, and two, to see if she could confirm that Toshinori Yagi had magical energy, at least from the probable energy trail left over from that morning.

Emerald, who had been secretly spying on them the whole time and recording everything for posterity, using his handily built-in Satellite Clairvoyance Imaging Program, almost laughed out loud when he realized what Izuku had done.

Everything was coming together even better than Emerald could have imagined.

After all, it was _he_ who carefully manipulated Izuku into taking Tamamo, the Servant he had raised the most flags with, out on what was actually a date in disguise.

Well, disguised from _him, _anyways.

Emerald had actually expected to have to step in at points to keep things on the _right track_, but _apparently_, he didn't even need to, because Izuku, while being really dumb at times, was _also_ really smart at times, or vice versa, and had executed things _perfectly_, even finishing up by taking her to Dagobah as the sun set, which was probably the most romantic spot in all of Mustafu, at least before it had gotten all mucked up with trash.

And he didn't even realize it.

_**[You know, if things keep going this way, I won't even have to put in much effort to make Master a Harem King, because he's apparently a freaking **__**natural**__**. I bet he became a Harem King in hundreds of parallel Worlds too.]**_ he thought to himself mischievously. _**[Man, I wish Ruby was here. She would have **__**loved**_ _**this.]**_

With that thought, he focused on Izuku and the love-struck-beyond-any-semblance-of-doubt Tamamo, and wished he had some popcorn.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a mouth for that, though he _did_ have a microwave feature.

_Small victories._

Unfortunately though, Kaleidosticks apparently couldn't have nice things, because the _exact moment_ Tamamo was about to comment on the view, all of Emerald's sensory arrays lit up like a lighthouse.

**[Trouble!]**

Without wasting time, Emerald flew out of Izuku's pocket, and landed neatly in his outstretched hand as the boy's face hardened as he slipped into his combat mindset, as his Kaleid Liner outfit formed around him in a flash of green.

Tamamo had also transformed into her Servant outfit from her casual one, and stood at her full height, looking extraordinarily _pissed_ for a very good reason.

Emerald made sure to land in Izuku's right hand for that very reason, wanting to avoid standing near the pretty much scorned woman.

"A Class Card?" Izuku asked urgently, looking at Emerald. "Where?"

Fortunately, or rather, _unfortunately_, Izuku's question was answered as reality seemed to warp around him.

Acting on sheer _instinct_, Izuku dived out of the way as the ground exploded where he had once been standing, summoning the Deck of Heroes to his side, causing Tamamo to return to her Class Card form and return to the holster, though her anger was causing it to visibly radiate light and heat.

A whistling noise in his ears was the only warning he had before he transformed Emerald into his Sword Form and swatted away a dagger that was aimed at his throat.

As he did, he noticed that the dagger was actually some kind of _spike_, attached to a long chain, clearly a type of Western kusarigama.

But that wasn't the end, as the moment he finished the sweeping motion of his Kaleidosword to knock away the spike, an arrow pierced his shoulder, causing him to clench his teeth in pain as it tore through his shields and drew blood.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the 'arrow' was actually a twisted sword of some kind.

Izuku flinched momentarily as he pulled the projectile out of his shoulder with a spurt of blood, only for it to dissolve into motes of blue light.

Suddenly, there was a flash of blue, and then all Izuku saw was an eerie red as a glowing crimson spear dominated his vision, nearly skewering him.

However, Izuku managed to parry it away before it could cause a second wound, though his wounded shoulder, which was already starting to heal thanks to Emerald's Host Repair Programs, screamed in protest.

Realizing he was getting blindsided, Izuku transformed Emerald back into a wand, before pointing it low to the ground, and firing a blast of green light that blew back everything in front of him, causing an explosion to ring out as his adversaries were forced to disengage and give him some breathing room.

Blown away by the evening wind, Izuku saw who he was up against.

A blue-haired man in a blackened bodysuit holding a red spear, a blindfolded woman with purple hair, and a tanned man with white hair, a twisted sword nocked to the string of his longbow.

**[Not **_**A**_ **Class Card.]** said Emerald, just as tense and surprised as his Master.

**[**_**Three**_ **of them. And **_**they've**_ **come to **_**us**_**.]**

Izuku's worst fears had been realized. The Corrupted Class Card Heroic Spirits had somehow broken into the real World.

And as the enemy Servants prepared to begin their offensive once more, Izuku realized one thing with absolute certainty;

_he was woefully outnumbered._

A single droplet of blood touched the sand as the battle began in earnest.

* * *

**So yeah, that happened.**

**It's time for Izuku to face the OG Fate Servants. Except it's a three on one, and against Archer, Lancer and Rider. This fight isn't going to be easy. But you guys probably saw this coming from the moment I revealed that Mustafu was Fuyuki****.**

**There's also a reason the three of them were able to break into the real World, but I'm keeping that to myself for now. See if you can guess it!**

**Anyways, I added some Tamamo fluff, since everyone loves Tamamo, and we'll definitely see more in the future. I purposely lightened the fluff load here because there were some good lines I wanted to save for the future. How was it though?**

**I was just playing through Shimousa by the way, which is what further stimulated my love for the fluffy fox. (Onui and Tasuke are the best too, probably my favorite NSCs (Non-Servant Characters) along with Siduri.) I get that she was kind of a b*tch in Extra, but anyone who isn't her beloved Master is fair game, the way I see it.**

**Also, kudos to you guys who can figure out where the Legendex is from. It's kind of an Easter Egg.**

**And what's up with Galahad, you may ask?**

**Plot retraction and personal regret, because I just found out he was actually a _huge_ as*hole. Self-righteous prick. It sucks that the character I thought I would like the most turned out to be the character I _hate_ the most. Even _Caster Gilles_ is better than Galahad, as far as I'm concerned.**

**I'll have to figure out something for him though, since I can't just cut him out now.**

**Okita and Jeanne fluff will come soon. Izuku just cemented his place in Tama-chan's heart, while Tamamo is still trying to cement her position as the Main Wife (TM). **

**I also added a bit of iteraction between the boys, though that will also pick up soon. Like I said, this is the awkward transition chapter. Things can only go up from here.**

**I'm pretty darn tired, and wrote this chapter through one of my worst cases of allergies yet, so I hope I at least did well enough to appease you guys. Like I said, next chapters will be better.**

**If you'll excuse me, I got to go take some Claritin and Roost for a bit.**

**Cya!**

**Spatialphoenix here, burning to ashes.**


End file.
